Dr. Favia Dubyk shared her story with producer Stepfanie Aguilar for an episode of The Daily Rally podcast. It was edited for length and clarity.
When you’re in survival mode, you’re not really thinking about much. I lived second by second. I was like, I survived this second, let’s survive the next second.
I see myself as an athlete first and foremost, but I’m also a physician. I’m pretty energetic. I smile a lot. I smile even when I’m terrified. So people think I’m always having a good time even though I’m not.
I was a second year med student in Cleveland, Ohio. I exercised six days a week, rock climbed six days a week, and my life pretty much revolved around going to the gym.
When I started not feeling that great, I just thought, “Oh, I’m really stressed because I’m taking boards.” But then after boards, the symptoms didn’t improve, they were worsening.
I actually had to stop climbing because it made me too weak. I started getting more injuries that I didn’t get before. Then eventually, I couldn’t raise my arms up. If I raised my arms, my oxygen was shut off. So, I would try to even…
