STORIES OF RESILIENCE Meningitis Survivors and Advocates Share Their Journeys Welcome to another special and poignant episode of the Destiny is Debatable podcast. As we acknowledge World Meningitis Day on October 5th, we are honored to present a collection of heartfelt stories from around the globe, shared by individuals whose lives have been profoundly affected by meningitis. Christine Bennborn from Sweden recounts the harrowing experience of losing her son, Mathias, to meningitis a...

Join us for a captivating chat with Aaron Hale, a former US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician turned entrepreneur, ultra endurance athlete, and host of The Point of Impact podcast. Aaron's story is one of resilience, peppered with hum...

This year for World Meningitis Day, we pulled together a remarkable collection of people from around the world to raise awareness and share their story to help light the road ahead to defeat meningitis. Turning the World Health Organization's (WHO) G...

Sheryl Ellis, a Certified Professional in Human Resources and a recognized expert in Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stops by to discuss how she helps employees and employers understand how to apply the ADA to a workplace accommo...

After an exciting and somewhat cryptic podcast and book update, Erin is back with another round of hypothetical questions for John that force them to choose the better of two bad options. Things get tense when Erin poses a “scandalous” question and...

Patti Wukovits and Alicia Stillman, two mothers who each lost their young, healthy daughters too soon to a now vaccine-preventable disease, Meningitis B (known as MenB). High school senior Kimberly (Patti’s daughter), 17, died one week before her gra...

Fellow survivor, Samantha Bennett, stops by to share her meningitis experience that begins as a 10-month-old baby and how the fast action of her family and an ER doctor helped her beat the odds. She recalls the countless months spent in the hospital ...

While on a family road trip, Regina Mitchell noticed a pain in her eye that changed from slight to excruciating within a few days. After a long medical journey she was diagnosed with Bilateral Panuveitis and began losing her sight rapidly. Regina sto...

As a senior at the University of Kansas, Andy Marso was not aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis. Because of the fast action of his friend and local doctors Andy miraculously survived to tell the tale in his book, Worth the Pain: How Meningitis ...

Fellow bacterial meningitis survivor, Krystle Beauchamp, stops by to share her meningitis story and how thankful she is for a quick diagnosis and the support of her family and friends. As Advocates for the National Meningitis Association (NMA), Krystle a...

Fellow survivor, Jamie Schanbaum, stops by to share her meningitis story and talk about life as an amputee, the vaccine legislation she helped pass, her advocacy with the J.A.M.I.E. Group and her days as a cyclist on the United States Paralypic team. Jam...

Fellow survivor, National Meningitis Association Advocate and podcast host, Adam Busuttil, stops by to share his meningitis story and the similarities with John’s story. They also discuss their road back to college and the importance of mental health che...

Erin returns with more listener questions. John discusses what he misses the most after vision loss, how technology helps with independence and if his other senses have become heightened to adapt to the loss of vision. In addition, they cover plans for t...

Fellow bacterial meningitis survivor Francesca Testa stops by for a visit to share her harrowing experience with the disease more than 15 years ago. As two former athletes, John and Francesca discuss the challenges they each faced in regaining their stre...

National Meningitis Association President Leslie Maier joins John and Erin to discuss the organization and how she channeled her grief into advocacy and action after she lost her son to meningitis. Leslie shares Chris’ story, explains how she first got i...

Erin returns with more listener questions. John discusses his rehabilitation, motivation to return to college life and working through setbacks.  Erin and John also share advise they would give their younger selves and their engagement story...

Dr. Todd Wolynn, CEO of Kids Plus Pediatrics in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, works to educate about immunizations, infectious disease and primary care. He stops by to discuss the symptoms of bacterial meningitis, the potential long-term effects, and the vacc...

Blake Schuchardt is a fellow meningococcal meningitis survivor, advocate for the National Meningitis Association and the cover story for People Magazine’s Summer 2020 Health edition. John and Blake each share their story of the extremely critical meningi...