April is Brain Injury Awareness Month. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, 1 in 60 Americans are living with a permanent brain injury, and 2.8 million traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, occur every year in the United States alone.

On today’s show, we are joined by Carl Magruder. In August, 2023, he was doing what he loved to do: ride his motorcycle. He got into an accident and, as he says, ”bonked my head.” That ”bonk” resulted in an extended hospital stay and a medically induced coma to give his brain time to heal. He was in the hospital for just over a month and then continued his healing process at home.

Carl Magruder is a Bay Area native. He earned a Master’s of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion and followed his calling to become a hospice chaplain. Prior to his accident in 2023, Carl was a home-based palliative care chaplain in Humboldt County and then served as a chaplain at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Carl is an Advanced Practice Board Certified Chaplain with the Spiritual Care Association, and is endorsed by the Religious Society of Friends.

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This breakdown in the protective covering makes it harder for messages from the brain to travel to other parts of the body. MS affects each person who has it differently, and the severity of the symptoms varies widely. People with MS may have chronic fatigue, have trouble seeing, feel numbness, or have difficulty walking. There is no cure, but treatments can help reduce symptoms and slow the progression of the condition.

We’re joined today by two guests who have multiple sclerosis. Kelley Hartman is a retired occupational therapist, joining us from outside of Denver, Colorado. And from Steuben, Maine, Mary Pancoast is with us. Mary is an artist and retired Montessori teacher. Kelley and Mary share with us their experiences of life with multiple sclerosis and the physical, mental, and financial realities - from retirement to relocation and rearranging life priorities.

It’s February, and we have a tradition here on Disability Rap of doing a show focused on love and relationships at this time of year. This year, we’re joined today by Jackie Armstrong and Eric Loeffler, who have been together since 2024. They tell us how they met and fell in love, and they share how their disabilities have enriched their relationship.

Jackie is the president of the disability self-advocacy group Sacramento United People First and is a board member of Alta California Regional Center. She works at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Progressive Employment Concepts.

Eric moved to California from Oregon in 2024 to be with Jackie. He works at Katadyn Foods in Rocklin, California. In his spare time, he enjoys video games, music, and movies. Eric and Jackie also participate in a community choir together.