For Rachel, success sometimes meant keeping her condition from getting worse. Explaining that to people who wanted a dramatic recovery milestone was another challenge entirely.
Rachel joins Jay Hicks to share her experience of living with cranial-cervical instability after a car accident. She describes fourteen years without the diagnosis, the neurosurgery she eventually underwent, and the daily work of managing symptoms afterward.
Then the conversation turns to comedy. Rachel's characters Cindy and Laurn open a door back into the creativity that illness had pushed aside. She and Jay talk about absurd sketches, the pressure to stay positive, and making room for an artistic identity alongside the demands of ongoing care.
What We Explore
* Rachel's long search for a diagnosis
* Her account of surgery and ongoing recovery
* Recognizing stability and management as meaningful progress
* The pressure to meet other people's expectations of recovery
* Cindy and Laurn and Rachel's return to sketch comedy
* Creativity, humor, and identity during chronic illness
* Their hopes for technology's role in understanding complex conditions
About Rachel
Rachel is a Vancouver-based creator who shares her lived experience with cranial-cervical instability. Her comedy includes the characters Cindy and Laurn, whose sketches become a focus of this conversation about reconnecting with creativity.
The Tragedy Academy
Candid conversations exploring the human experience through tragedy and triumph.
Hosted by Jay Hicks.
Be cool. Keep learning. 🌳
