An Improbable Accident
Tiffany Cruz, 24, recalls a freak electrical shock she and her teenage sister experienced in her parent’s Garden Grove swimming pool.
Bipolar Disorder
Lisa Becker, 42, of Costa Mesa, tells writer Michael Goldstein about regaining control of her life and how she’s helping others do the same.
How I Survived … My Baby’s Heart Defect
The oldest of my five children is 13, and Carlee, my youngest, was born last July. The pregnancy was normal, and there was nothing unusual about the delivery. Her evaluation was good; she seemed fine. Then they ran a pulse oximetry heart-defect screening test, something they’d just started doing nine days earlier because of a new state law.
My Son’s Spinal Cord Injury
Dale Hahn, 50, tells writer Rachel Powers about family, sacrifice, and the decision to care for his son after a life-altering accident.
How I Survived … The Disease I’m Trained to Treat
At George Washington University, I trained in general surgery, and I did additional training in cancer surgery at City of Hope. Then about eight years ago, after my own cancer treatment, I dedicated my practice to breast cancer.
How I Survived … Cancer’s Relentless Grind
I’ve been diagnosed three times—when I was 18, 20, and 22. Hodgkin’s lymphoma, every time.The first time was just before I started college. I had a recurring fever and the antibiotics weren’t working. So I went to the doctor just to make sure I didn’t have pneumonia. I got a chest X-ray and they found an 8-centimeter mass sitting on the left side of my heart.
Medical School
Kiah Bertoglio, 27, of Orange, a fourth-year medical student at UC Irvine, discusses the pressure she puts on herself to succeed.
