In the spirit of giving thanks, we consider how gratitude can illuminate our darkest experiences and how faith and imagination can transform healing. On this week’s program, a battle with thyroid cancer inspired a former Disney Imagineer to team up with a hospital president to create the world’s first immersive multifaith spiritual care center. They discuss how storytelling, innovation and compassion can reshape hospital care and remind us that healing is as much about the human spirit as it is about medicine.
Guests:
- Annette Walker, president of City of Hope in Orange County.
- Roger Holzberg, thyroid cancer survivor and former Disney Imagineer.
Then, exploring the dangers of loneliness during a season of togetherness. The health risks of isolation are now being compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, highlighting the effects loneliness has on both the brain and body. Having uncovered some of these vast connections through his own research, Dr. Indira Subramanian, a UCLA neurologist and director of a Parkinson’s Center of Excellence at the Department of Veteran Affairs, discusses why disconnection has become so influential, how it worsens chronic illness and what small, intentional acts can begin to heal it.