


He Researched Schizophrenia. Then He Was Diagnosed With It.
Brandon Chuang was just 22 when he began researching schizophrenia at U.C. Berkley. Soon, his studies were more personally relevant than he ever imagined.

The Battle After The Fire
PTSD, depression, and other mental health disorders are a hidden epidemic amongst firefighters and other emergency response workers. That's an epidemic Jeff Dill wants to drag into the light.

A Real-Life Wheelchair Superhero
Mohammed Sayed created Wheelchair Man to show kids with disabilities that they are capable of anything. If anything, Sayed's even more of a superhero than his creation.

When Morning Sickness Is Deadly
Geneticist Marlena Fejzo lost a pregnancy from hyperemesis gravidarum, or extreme morning sickness. Now she's trying to prove the condition is genetic, and not just in women's minds.

The Dog Walker Who Beat HIV
Otherwise known as the Berlin Patient, Timothy Brown is the only known person to have been cured of HIV/AIDS. But he won't rest until a cure is found for everyone.

Closing The Race Gap In Health Care
Dr. Thaddeus Bell says the key to getting better health outcomes for African-Americans is to confront racism in health care. More black doctors wouldn't hurt either.

The Researcher Who Planned His Own Surgery in Virtual Reality
When professor Larry Smarr discovered he had Crohn's Disease, he tackled it the only way he knew how: with technology.

The Cook With No Taste
How do you cook when you can't smell? It's all about trial and error, says 20-year-chef Adam Cole.

The Diabetes Cyborg Hacking Her Own Pancreas
Dana Lewis invented the Open Artificial Pancreas System to make things easier for herself, and millions of others type 1 diabetics around the world.
Folks is an online magazine dedicated to telling the stories of remarkable people who refuse to be defined by their health issues. By sharing the experiences of these individuals, we hope to change people’s notions about what it means to be ‘normal’.
Editorially independent, Folks is sponsored and published by PillPack. Part of our mission at PillPack is to create healthcare experiences that empower people. We don’t believe people are defined by their conditions. We pay our contributors, and we don’t sell advertising.
If you’d like to partner with Folks, or share a story, let us know at folks@pillpack.com.
John Brownlee, Editor-in-Chief
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