The Medical Detectives: Sasha & Nella’s Story—A Life-Saving Friendship

Episode Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Medical Detectives tells the remarkable, intertwined journeys of Sasha and Nella—two young Canadian women who separately endured baffling, intense chronic pain, only to discover their rare diagnoses with each other’s help. Guided by hosts Dr. Erin Nance and Anna O’Brien, the episode not only unravels the mystery and medical misadventures behind Slipping Rib Syndrome and hypermobility disorders, but highlights the profound, empowering power of patient-to-patient support, especially in the face of systemic barriers and disbelief. The story traverses personal advocacy, social media crowdsourcing, struggles with the Canadian health system, and ultimately, hope through friendship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Before Illness & Onset of Symptoms

• Nella’s Active Life & Mysterious Injury: Nella describes her fitness-focused lifestyle and early oddities (e.g., inability to feel yoga stretches, frequent injuries). The trigger spiraled after a running mishap in 2022, leading to 10 months of undiagnosed ankle and then systemic pain.

  "I put myself in an air cast. I get crutches. ... And all it does... is start giving me knee pain and then hip pain and then lumbar pain and then middle back pain." (D, 04:58)

  • Unremarkable X-rays/MRIs, dismissed as a “minor sprain,” incorrect treatments, and escalating pain ensue.

• Sasha’s Back Story & Sudden Downfall: Young and healthy, Sasha’s life changed after COVID and a minor physical strain in 2022. Back pain worsened through factory work and gym lifting—followed by a cascade of missed diagnoses, failed therapies, and dismissive clinicians.

  "I was in the gym lifting weights ... I want to go into my field. I do not want to be laying in my bed back there. No one wants this." (C, 30:19)

2. Misdiagnoses, Gaslighting, and Healthcare Struggles

• Dismissal & Gender Bias: Both experienced their suffering written off (“it’s fibromyalgia,” “musculoskeletal spasms,” “just rest”). Doctors attributed complaints to mental health or “being a woman.”

  "It's not a drug that's going to numb the pain for you, it's a psychiatric treatment. But of course you're a woman. So the first assumption is maybe she's just got some issues upstairs." (B, 11:31)

• Systemic Barriers in Canada: Nella loses her doctor after advocating for herself (clinic terminates her), and faces a year-long stretch without primary care; ER visits are 17+ hours long and specialists are scarce.

  "So basically this doctor terminated the doctor patient relationship. And I had no doctor. Nobody was taking patients." (D, 14:04)

• Psychological Toll & Isolation: Both recount losing friends, depression, and the impact on work lives; employers and families struggle to understand invisible pain.

  "It was a pretty tough time in my life. ... It definitely felt like everyone thought that I'm just going through some kind of psychosis and imagining pain and nobody wanted to be around me." (D, 15:21) "Every day was different... it was even like my mom would have to blow dry and brush my hair... just raising my arms gave me so much... back pain." (C, 34:38)

3. Diagnosis By Determination: Patient Advocacy & Research

• Chart-Diving & Self-Research: Both Nella and Sasha mobilize themselves, building detailed medical binders, using journal articles, ChatGPT(!), and social media for their own detective work.

  "[I] kept Googling... looking at various different things. And I found this one identifier in my blood work that's used to aid in the diagnosis of a mixed connective tissue disorder." (D, 18:12)

• Discovery of “Slipping Rib Syndrome”: Sasha self-diagnoses by recognizing her symptoms in a rare condition online—she frames it carefully, persuading her family doctor (who’s never heard of it) to investigate.

  "He basically said, I have never learned about slipping rib syndrome in medical school. I probably know less than you do at this point, just because I had googled so much already." (C, 40:01)

• Pathway to Surgical Expertise: After Canadian specialists can’t help, Sasha (with her parents) searches international Facebook groups, finds Dr. Adam Hansen in West Virginia, USA, self-refers, and finally receives diagnosis and surgical intervention.

4. The Power of Social Media & Patient Community

• Going Public for Others: Sasha begins sharing her journey on TikTok and Facebook, demystifying slipping rib syndrome for others and detailing the complex steps for Canadian healthcare funding.

  "There wasn't really a conversation happening at all... There did seem in my opinion to be a lot of misinformation surrounding it." (C, 55:02)

• Impact: Her story and resource-sharing ripple outward: at least 8 other Ontarians secure coverage using Sasha’s guide, including Nella.
• Nella’s Lightbulb Moment/Contact: Late one night, Nella recognizes her own journey in Sasha’s video. After initial hesitance and emotional overwhelm, she reaches out—sparking a partnership in navigating the diagnosis, system, and eventual treatment.

5. Barriers Broken: Bureaucracy, Legalese, and Perseverance

• Healthcare Funding Advocacy: Both women endure multiple denials for cross-border surgery funding, painstakingly gather documentation, and fight with government agencies.

  "I went into lawyer mode... I read through it, figured out what the criteria... knew, yeah, it checks that box... They by law actually have to pay for this." (C, 54:55)

• Systemic Change: After Sasha’s successful appeal, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan updates their forms—removing ambiguous questions and clarifying eligibility—making approvals faster and easier for similar patients.

  "Every point that I had written in my personal letter, they had changed for the better on the new application." (C, 62:54)

6. Surgery, Recovery, and Mutual Validation

• Innovative Surgeries: Both women undergo costal margin reconstruction by Dr. Hansen, pioneering a cartilage graft and absorbable plate technique, greatly improving symptoms.

  "As soon as I got out of surgery, I was like, I can breathe again." (C, 61:46)

• Shared Scars and Shared Strength: The friendship deepens through recovery—comparing, validating, and guiding each other through surgical and emotional milestones.

  "We have matching scars. Like, I just think that is the coolest thing ever." (C, 75:34)

7. Friendship, Validation, & the Patient Voice

• The Unmatched Value of Peer Support: Both express the relief, comfort, and strength found in connecting with someone who truly understands—a “rock” during a lonely process.

  "To be able to actually talk to someone who knows 100% what you're feeling is just a completely unmatched feeling..." (C, 80:23) "We're tearing up at each other's stories because... we see it so much in ourselves... It's such a great community that once you find it, you're like, oh my god, this is amazing." (D, 81:27)

• Systemic Insight: Hosts and guests highlight how many “rare” conditions are simply rarely diagnosed; patient stories and social media communities are vital for real progress.

  "I can guarantee you that it is not rare. It is just rarely diagnosed." (A, 77:02)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Nella’s Pre-Symptoms Life & Initial Injury: 01:40–05:19
• Medical Dismissal & Gender Bias: 11:31–13:20
• Losing Healthcare & Depression: 14:04–16:11
• Nella’s Self-Research & EDS/Slipping Rib Discovery: 18:12–21:53
• Sasha’s Backstory & Onset: 22:00–31:50
• Physician Interactions, Advocacy, and Diagnosis: 39:23–46:14
• Anatomy of the Rib Cage (Dr. Nance): 46:14–48:31
• Surgical Innovations (Dr. Hansen’s Technique): 53:22–55:02
• Social Media Advocacy & Systemic Impact: 55:02–63:21
• Emotional Resonance of Friendship: 75:16–82:29
• The Importance of the Patient Voice (Closing Insights): 77:02–79:55

Memorable Quotes

• On Medical Gaslighting and Validation:

  "So the sleep doctor... wrote a letter back to my GP... that the pain is not in my head... urged him to investigate... [the] doctor... still not doing anything." (D, 11:43) "People are just so uninformed that they jump to... conclusions that just don't logically make sense." (B, 16:11)

• On Self-Advocacy and Research:

  "I started Googling my symptoms and going through all of my medical records... and I heard a suggestion from somebody to create a medical binder." (D, 16:26) "I had taken off that whole month of November... Is this going to help heal whatever is going on? ...I am well rested, sir." (C, 31:50)

• On Systemic Change:

  "Every point that I had written in my personal letter, they had changed for the better on the new application." (C, 62:54) "...[Sasha's] work... led to changes in a government form for the better. Which kudos to Canada for actually having someone point out the problem and then fixing it..." (A, 82:36)

• On Patient Community & Hope:

  "I still think about it every day, but obviously I'm so thankful that that is the case." (C, 63:40) "You can be like, I'm having this weird thing going on. Did you go through this? And it's like, oh, that's normal. It'll pass." (D, 76:03) "We're cheering each other on... such a great community that once you find it, you're like, oh my god, this is amazing." (D, 81:27)

Conclusion: The Meaning of Friendship & Patient Power

Sasha:

"To be able to actually talk to someone who knows 100% what you're feeling is just a completely unmatched feeling because you can have that real, raw conversation and... not have to mask anything." (C, 80:23)

Nella:

"It's just absolutely incredible to have somebody in your corner who also has gone through the exact same thing and... we're tearing up at each other's stories because we see it so much in ourselves..." (D, 81:27)

Dr. Nance:

"I can guarantee you that it is not rare. It is just rarely diagnosed." (A, 77:02)

Takeaways

• Patient stories matter deeply—community and shared experience are transformative.
• Despite medical dismissal and inefficiency, tenacity and resourcefulness pay off for patients ignored by the system.
• Social media and first-hand accounts can drive not just personal empowerment, but ripple into systemic change for others.
• The label “rare” can mask how often conditions go undiagnosed, especially in women and marginalized patients.
• Friendship and validation from someone who truly understands can be life-saving.

Listen to this episode not only for the twists and turns of their medical mysteries, but for an inspiring case study in the importance—and healing power—of finding your people.