CanaryPod: Topple Uncaged meets… #SaveSamantha

CanaryPod - The Canary's Podcast

English - July 12, 2019 10:52 - 48.2 MB - ★★★★★ - 1 rating
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THIS PODCAST CONTAINS LANGUAGE AND CONTENT SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND OFFENSIVE. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EPISODE ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND …

By Steve Topple

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS LANGUAGE AND CONTENT SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND OFFENSIVE. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EPISODE ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND GUESTS.

Welcome to series two of #ToppleUncaged!

Every week, The Canary will be bringing you a new podcast on the media landscape; hosted by me, Steve Topple.

In a special episode, I focus on several under-recognised, often misdiagnosed, and sorely misunderstood illnesses.

#SaveSamantha

Samantha Smith is a mum-of-two from Greater Manchester. As she says on her website:

I owned a young business and worked as a Psychotherapist and writer, until recently when my life was turned upside down and I learnt that my brain and spinal cord are being crushed under the weight of my skull. I became too ill to continue the career I had worked so hard for.

Samantha told me she was living with a rare sub-type of the genetic connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). But more than this, she had craniocervical instability (CCI) and tethered cord syndrome. The severity of the CCI meant she had weeks to live. So, she started fundraising to have life saving surgery in the US. But this was just the start of her story, which by anyone’s standards is remarkable and shocking in equal measure.

I caught up with Samantha for the #ToppleUncaged podcast. We talked about her medical journey, the lack of awareness and treatment available on the NHS, the stigma surrounding some chronic illnesses, and the charity she is in the process of launching.

Enjoy!

https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Samantha-Smith-Reduced.mp3

CanaryPod: #ToppleUncaged meets… #SaveSamantha show notes:

Presented, produced and edited by Steve Topple.

Sound engineering by Gav Pauze.

Read more about Samantha’s story on her website and follow her on Instagram.

Join the #SaveSamantha Facebook community.

Follow on Twitter:

Steve Topple @MrTopple; The Canary @TheCanaryUK; Samantha Smith @SaveSamantha_; Nicola Jeffery @NicolaCJeffery; Gav Pauze @PauzeRadio; Rai Star Music @rai_star113

Use the hashtags #ToppleUncaged #CanaryPod

Find out more about Gav Pauze.

Topple Uncaged Theme Music: Lost Souls by Lee Wrizzle.

A song for ME: Blowin’ in the Wind by Robert Saunders

Featured image via Steve Topple / Wikimedia – Maurice / Samantha Smith

By Steve Topple