Introducing Dr. Maggie Kang, a physician, mother, coach, and rare disease advocate who turned a personal challenge into an opportunity for growth and inspiration. When her daughter was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, Dr. Kang found coaching as a way to cope with her stress and support her family.
Through this journey, she learned the importance of embracing pain and shifting perspectives to overcome adversity. With her powerful message of hope and resilience, Dr. Kang has become an inspiration to others facing similar challenges and has made a lasting impact on the lives of those she has touched.
Dr. Kang is a board-certified radiologist trained at Yale, mom of two kids, one with a rare disease.
She was the radiologist who was the first to see her nine-year-old daughter’s horrifying brain MRI in the ER. Her daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease, neuromyelitis optica.
The ordeal motivated Maggie to shift her focus from radiology to mental well-being.
Now a certified Life Coach, Maggie dedicates her time to supporting parents of kids in the rare and chronic disease communities. She also works with physician moms of kids with chronic needs one-on-one in her private coaching practice, MaggieKangMD LLC.
Maggie told her story on the TEDx stage, sharing her powerful message that you can choose to accept pain or create suffering.
Link to TEDx talk: The Truth About Pain and Suffering Will Change Your Life | Maggie Kang | TEDxCherryCreekWomen
Dr. Kang has transformed her family's life by embracing pain and shifting perspectives. After her daughter was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, Dr. Kang sought coaching to help manage her stress and support her family.
This journey led her to the realization that pain is an inevitable part of life, but suffering is a choice. By processing her pain and moving through it, Dr. Kang has become a source of strength and inspiration to her daughter and countless others facing similar challenges.
This is Dr. Maggie Kang's story:
Dr. Maggie Kang's life took a dramatic turn when her once-healthy daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease called neuromyelitis optica at just nine years old. Facing the darkest moments of their lives, they spent five weeks in the ICU, grappling with fear, grief, and uncertainty. As the pandemic unfolded, Maggie sought solace in coaching, which helped her understand that pain and suffering are distinct, and that the latter is a choice. Embracing this wisdom, she began processing her grief and discovered the transformative power of accepting pain.
In this episode, you will be able to:
Community Support
The support of a community of people who understand and empathize with the challenges faced by those living with a rare or chronic disease cannot be underestimated. Building connections, sharing experiences, and providing emotional support can help individuals and families tremendously in managing their circumstances.
Dr. Maggie Kang's family found solace and camaraderie within the rare disease community they connected with through the NMO foundation. This sense of belonging and support significantly contributed to their ability to navigate their struggles and find comfort in knowing that they were not alone. Dr. Kang ultimately emphasizes the importance of community in facing life's trials and the immense impact such connections can have on healing and personal growth.
Caregiver Support
Caregivers play a significant role in the well-being of those living with chronic diseases. However, caregivers may struggle with burnout, anxiety, and emotional turmoil. It is essential for caregivers to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being by seeking support and resources to manage stress effectively.
Dr. Kang found solace and guidance through coaching, which aided her in managing day-to-day challenges and finding ways to support her family. She emphasizes that a positive mindset and devoting time to self-care can influence a caregiver's outlook, ultimately benefiting the person they are caring for.
Dr. Kang's coaching experience inspired her to help other caregivers navigate their challenges.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:00 - Introduction,
Trista Guertin introduces Dr. Maggie Kang, who shares her story of how coaching helped her manage the stress of her daughter's rare disease diagnosis.
00:01:35 - Coping with a Rare Disease Diagnosis,
Dr. Maggie Kang shares her experience when her daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease, neuromyelitis optica, and the impact it had on her and her family's lives.
00:07:38 - Pain and Suffering,
Dr. Kang talks about the difference between pain and suffering and how choosing a different perspective and thought process helped her move through the pain and create a different narrative for her and her daughter's lives.
00:09:52 - Rare Disease Advocacy,
Dr. Kang shares how her experience with her daughter's illness inspired her and her daughter to get involved in rare disease advocacy, leading them to join the Sumyra Foundation for NMO and meet a community of amazing people.
00:13:43 - Community Support,
Dr. Kang emphasizes the importance of community support and connecting with foundations when dealing with rare diseases, which can provide valuable resources and expertise to patients and families.
00:15:26 - Nell's Story,
Dr. Maggie Kang discusses her daughter Nell's experience with a rare genetic disorder and the challenges she faced transitioning back to school after a year of hospitalization. Nell wrote a journal to process her pain, which was turned into a book and picked up by the CBS Evening News.
00:18:15 - Caregiver Support,
Dr. Kang emphasizes the importance of self-care for caregivers and the impact it has on the person being cared for. She also notes the importance of modeling supportive behavior rather than putting pressure on the person to get better.
00:24:35 - TEDx Experience,
Dr. Kang discusses the work it took to prepare for her TEDx Talk, including hiring a coach and adjusting her delivery to include more emotion. She also shares that her talk has resonated with a wider audience than she initially intended.
00:27:31 - Dealing with Pain,
Dr. Kang encourages listeners to not resist feeling pain and instead sit with it to avoid creating suffering. She also mentions her upcoming newsletter and where to find more information on her website.
To learn more about Maggie and Nell and to watch her TEDx talk:
Website: https://maggiekangmd.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/maggiekangmd/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiekangmd/
TEDx talk: The Truth About Pain and Suffering Will Change Your Life | Maggie Kang | TEDxCherryCreekWomen
My Hospital Story (daughter’s book) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/My-Hospital-Story-Nell-Choi/dp/1982262842/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=c3f60023-05a3-4bab-bf26-2ac3b9d954f7
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