Well, Now

The Isolation of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis

How author Suleika Jaouad grapples with identity after a leukemia diagnosis, remission, and re-emergence.

Episode Notes

Each week, we’ve explored wellness from different perspectives, but we haven’t talked about what it means to live a full life while grappling with the real possibility of death.

Most of us hope for a full, long life with “good” health. But a serious, possibly fatal diagnosis changes everything: Our relationships with work, loved ones, and even the way we see ourselves.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with author, journalist, and artist Suleika Jaouad. Many learned about her work in the Oscar-nominated documentary American Symphony – which chronicled her marriage to musician Jon Batiste as his career soared and her leukemia re-emerged.

But Suleika began documenting illness and identity long before starring in an award-winning film.

If you liked this episode, check out: “People Feel Like They’re Drowning”: The Long COVID Survivors Left Behind

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

About the Show

We all want to achieve wellness, but how many of us have a clear understanding of what it is or how to measure it? Some believe it’s meeting a certain set of metrics around health. Others see it as becoming a more effective self-advocate when navigating our health challenges, or creating a balance in work, fitness, and family that promotes a sense of well-being. However we define wellness, we can all use advice from thoughtful people about how to find it for ourselves.

That’s the mission of Slate’s new podcast Well, Now. Each week our hosts, Maya Feller and Kavita Patel, will tackle a new issue around wellness, from the latest exercise craze, to the controversy over BMI, to the best ways to promote sleep hygiene. Every episode aims to give listeners a new understanding of wellness, and how to reach it.

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Hosts

  • Maya Feller is a registered dietitian and contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, and an advisory board member for SHAPE and Parents. Her expertise can be found in the New York Times, Well+Good, and more. She is also the author of Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites From Cultures Around the World and based in New York City.

  • Dr. Kavita Patel is a D.C.-based primary care physician who has a rich background in health and health policy, having served the Obama administration and as a policy analyst to Sen. Edward Kennedy. She’s also a medical contributor for NBC News/MSNBC and a columnist for MSNBC.