The Surgeon Who Became a Patient

In 2015, orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Fajgenbaum was diagnosed with Castleman disease, a rare and life-threatening immune disorder. He nearly died five times. But rather than retreat from medicine, Fajgenbaum did something remarkable — he turned his own suffering into a bridge. He began researching his disease from the inside, as both physician and patient. He knew the terror of lying in a hospital bed, watching his own organs fail.…