This “Surviving & Thriving” segment is presented by Florida Hospital. With the right kind of care and support and the right attitude, it’s possible to not only survive life’s greatest challenges but to thrive in the aftermath. 

Kim Goodsell started noticing physical ailments about 20 years ago when she was in her 30s and training for an Ironman triathlon. Eventually, she was diagnosed with two rare and very serious diseases that all of the country’s top doctors told her were not connected. They said it was simply bad luck.

And that’s where the story gets unusual.

Kim joins us to discuss her dogged determination to solve her body’s medical mysteries. She explains why she started investigating the genetic makeup of her diseases and how she unlocked a link.

Even though there’s no cure for her diseases, she explains how she’s been “wildly successful” at managing the degenerative diseases. Not only has she slowed the debilitation, she’s reversed it. Find out how she’s gone from using a walker to running on the beach again.

She explains how the digital age has led to a democratization of information for any patient. Get her advice for being your own best advocate and find out how she’s fighting for the voices of other patients.