*me and sam on connections with evan dawson in fall 2024; my son receiving gene therapy in summer 2024; sam mackenzie, m.d., Ph.D.*

February is Rare Disease Month, so on my podcast It’s a Lot, we’re doing a mini series focused on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). My son was diagnosed with SMA a few days after he was born, and then received an incredible gene therapy treatment less than a month later. The experience was a lot to go through, as you might imagine. I’m grateful I can share our story and hopefully help other people.

For the first episode of the mini series, I talked to my son’s neurologist, Sam Mackenzie, M.D., Ph.D. I was super curious about what it’s like delivering a life-changing diagnosis to a family, what you learn in med school about empathy and bedside manner, and how Sam ended up a child neurologist in the first place. We also discussed our flawed healthcare system and his hopes for a better one as well as what people can do to help disabled folks in the U.S. If this episode makes you want to support research, the TANGO2 Research Foundation is a great option!

In the second half of the episode, we chat about Sam’s experiences as a father of three. He shares his thoughts on parent guilt, his existential fears about how AI will impact his kids’ lives, why risk can actually be a good thing, and lots more.

Lastly, to learn more about SMA and how you can support the community, check out Cure SMA.

Download the episode now, and in the meantime, check out these quotes from and memes inspired by our conversation!