The Head Start: Embracing the Journey Season 3 is Here

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to season three of The head Start Embracing
the Journey. I'm Norah McNerney. We're here to highlight the
real stories of people living with chronic migraine, getting a
glimpse into their day to day life, navigating not just
the physical symptoms, but also the stigmas they face and
the treatment journey thereon. This show is brought to you
in partnership with ABV. If you're new to the show,

(00:22):
there are fourteen episodes already out and worth a listen,
each one looking at chronic migraine through a different lens,
but sharing a common theme, a theme of resilience. I
was grateful to talk to Jamie, whose father's medical background
and access to proper healthcare gave her a unique advantage
in getting an appropriate diagnosis.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
My father really being a strong advocate for people having
a voice and people having equitable care. That really trickled
down to me and my sisters.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
And Marina, who is trying to figure out what was
happening with her almost daily micro attacks while juggling the
responsibilities of raising two young children.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
My daughter she would be crying, my son he would
be running around without pants. And I would sometimes sit
on the floor and just cry. You know, my husband
would come home. The babies are crying, the wife is crying.
It was hard. It was so hard. I couldn't lay
down in the quiet dark room because I had to

(01:27):
take care of the kids.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
I think we're all making up this parenting thing as
we go. No one really has all the answers, which
is why I was blown away hearing how Angel was
walking her adult sons through their own diagnoses after living
with chronic migraine herself.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
What I also hope is that Exavier and Zion both
see that living with migraine doesn't make them broken or inferior,
and in some ways it gives them an insight and
a life level of compassion for others that I truly
always see.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Throughout these real and intimate conversations, we will be joined
yet again by my friend, doctor Christopher Ryan, who will
provide us with his unique perspective, having treated people living
with migraine for over fifteen years.

Speaker 5 (02:18):
When you treat chronic migraine patients frequently and for as
long as I have, you see how isolated and dismissed
they can feel. And this is regardless of race, gender,
anything else. And so It's important to make sure that
a person sitting across from you feel seen. You ask
about them. You want to hear their story. You want
to know who they are, what makes them tick, what
makes them happy, and how you can participate in their

(02:40):
health goals in their story.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
So we're back for season three, working to reshape the
conversation around chronic migraine to be one that is more
empathetic and more understanding. There shouldn't be as much stigma
or hesitation when asking for help. Come join us and
listen to the head Start Embracing the Journey on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.