99. From News Anchor to Advocate: A POTS and EDS Journey with Summer Dashe

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Linda Bluestein, MD (00:17.286)

I am so excited to have Summer Dashe with me here today. She was an Emmy-winning news anchor before the symptoms of POTS derailed her career. She currently works in science communications for a research and engineering company and teaches journalism at the University of Tennessee. She serves on several medical and nonprofit boards and is a prominent advocate for the chronically ill, and she often shares resources with

 

Thousands and thousands of followers on social media Summer Hello and welcome to Bendy Bodies

 

Summer Dashe (00:51.854)

Hi, thank you so much for having me on a nice intro. I really appreciate it.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (00:57.262)

Awesome. I feel like I've wanted to do this for so long. So I'm so excited that we're finally sitting down to chat I know so many people are dying to know how did you first discover that you had POTS? I'm gonna say POTS and company

 

Summer Dashe (01:10.706)

POTS and company, yes, that's a good way to put it. I first, it took two years to find out I had POTS. At the time, I was a main anchor at an ABC station in South Carolina. And the good news about that is just before I developed this disorder, I was working weekend mornings. And for those people who have POTS, we know that a lot of times it's really hard to get up in the morning. And a lot of times those symptoms really slam you upon getting up right in the morning.

 

still been on a morning show when this developed. I don't think I would have survived that long in that position. So I had just been moved to main anchor, which meant I was working evenings, so about two o'clock to midnight. And I started having all these strange symptoms. It really started with shaking and

 

really bad sweating and I kept saying my memory was going and I was having trouble finding words and all of these things. And I really interestingly enough in the beginning I didn't notice the heart rate. If I had, yeah, I mean if I had sat there and gone

 

Oh, my heart's beating really fast. I probably would have mentioned that to a doctor, but I didn't really notice the heart rate. So when I would go to the doctor, I was talking about all these other symptoms we experience with POTS. Regardless, at that time, it was 2017, and doctors really were not familiar with POTS like they are now. Do we still need more awareness? You bet, but people now in 2024,

 

post-pandemic are much more familiar with POTS than they were in 2017 when it started for me. So after visiting about 11 doctors locally in the South Carolina area and being told I had anxiety and being prescribed all sorts of different anxiety medications, then I finally ended up at Vanderbilt Cardiology and a cardiologist there in about two minutes said, "'I know what's wrong with you.'" And I kind of looked at him and laughed and I said, "'No, you don't, nobody does, it's been-

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (03:10.48)

Oh, really?

 

Summer Dashe (03:11.406)

Yeah, I mean, it had been two years at this point. And I kind of went, yeah, whatever, nobody does. By that point, I was beginning to doubt my own sanity, thinking maybe it is anxiety. I'm causing all of this. This is crazy that I'm doing this to myself. And he referred me into Vanderbilt autonomics where I had a tilt table test and no doubt this was POTS.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (03:20.299)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (03:33.961)

Mmm.

 

Summer Dashe (03:35.11)

So that was in May of 2019. My symptoms developed in May of 2017. So almost two years to the day was when I was diagnosed.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (03:44.83)

Interesting. And when you developed your symptoms in May of 2017, was that following infectious illness or trauma of some sort? Or did it just completely start out of the blue?

 

Summer Dashe (03:56.506)

You know, that's a really, that's the great question. A lot of POTS patients can really pinpoint their trigger and I get asked that all the time and I was the healthiest I have ever been in my whole life when this happened.

 

I had just lost about 30 pounds. I had won a fitness competition. I was working out with a trainer on this like fitness team five days a week. I was bike riding. We lived at the beach, so we'd take our little doggies and plop them in their bike baskets and we'd go bike to the beach and whatnot. So this was really the healthiest I had ever been. I had not been sick that I know of at that time, no virus. I had no major trauma in terms of a car accident.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (04:18.226)

Oh my gosh.

 

Summer Dashe (04:42.98)

or any surgery or anything like that. So I really don't know what my trigger was. It was quick though. There's a picture of me on like May 8th of that year and it's me with the sign where I'd won the fitness competition. And then by the following weekend, like May 12th or whatever it was, I woke up and was so messed up. So something happened in the five day span that it all...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (04:58.361)

Mmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (05:08.331)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (05:13.103)

you know, I, if I'm allowed to cuss on here, I always say and that's when everything went to shit.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (05:18.806)

Yeah, yeah, absolute, first of all, allowed. And second of all, that's fascinating to me that you can pinpoint it that precisely, but the trigger is not evident. So that's...

 

Summer Dashe (05:29.966)

Yeah, it's really interesting.

 

Some of the doctors, for people who followed me, they know I've been kind of going down the spinal fluid leak rabbit hole, and some of the doctors I've spoken to, the reason they suspected that was because, again, at that time, I was doing really intense workouts, and I did not know I had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome so I was not aware that my body was potentially weaker than others in certain ways. So it's possible that with all that excessive, intense, hardcore working out,

 

popped a hole in my dura and have a leak. But we're, that's TBD.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (06:07.082)

Right, right. Wow. Oh my gosh. And so by May 12th, you started having symptoms. And then how did you manage those symptoms at first when you were working?

 

Summer Dashe (06:24.074)

You know, part of it was that I was being told it was all in my head. So I'm sitting there thinking, push through this. What's wrong with you? You wimp. Like, I'm mad at myself during that time.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (06:29.23)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (06:36.694)

Mm-hmm.

 

Mm-hmm.

 

Summer Dashe (06:41.226)

And so I would just try harder, but at the same time, it became so clear that there was something very wrong. I also am really lucky, again, at that time, I had a schedule that more worked with these symptoms. I also was not out in the field reporting anymore, which is much tougher on your body. So I was going to a studio that was climate controlled. Granted, I was anchoring four or five shows a night, which is a lot, yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:00.014)

Sure.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:04.407)

Mm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:09.7)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (07:09.902)

It was a war and I had the world's most supportive co-anchor on the entire planet. He, I think, literally dragged me through this a lot. I really credit him a lot with getting me through those few years. He believed me the whole time. He knew that this was not right. He's going.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:16.376)

Hmm

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:25.879)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (07:28.758)

You know, he was hilarious. He was so funny. And so, you know, he'd make jokes about it. And I have a really good sense of humor. So I'd make jokes about it, but I would go to the morning show set had a couch and I was evening. So we didn't use the morning show set, obviously, and evenings and I would go lay on their couch in between shows just to like die for a minute before I had to anchor another one. And it got to the point where then there were times where

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (07:50.972)

Uh.

 

Summer Dashe (07:54.042)

I would put my head in my hands like on a commercial break and just close my eyes and I would actually fall asleep for a second and my producer would be in my ear going, Summer, Summer. And my co-anchor would kind of tap me and I'd be back up then on onto the next story. So it was, you know, and my coworkers at the time they knew.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (08:01.115)

Oh.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (08:09.11)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (08:14.154)

something was going on, some of them, the ones I was close with, like my co-anchor knew better than others how bad it was getting. Toward the second year into this, it was very obvious and very difficult. I think I did a really tremendous job hiding it, but I credit a lot of the reason that I was able to get through that to really, really great coworkers.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (08:29.834)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (08:37.182)

Yeah, it sounds like it sounds like they believed you more than you believed you.

 

Summer Dashe (08:42.178)

100%. Yeah, I mean, these were, and I say this a lot, but it really makes me sick and breaks my heart for people who develop this condition, like in their teens and before they graduate from college, because I also had the benefit of having built a reputation for myself in the workforce. I was 26 when this started. At that point, you know,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (08:43.595)

Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (09:01.71)

Mm-hmm.

 

Summer Dashe (09:08.042)

My boss knew, she had just promoted me. She knew I was a hard worker. She knew I was tough. She knew that I was very reliable. So the question was never, why is Summer lazy or why is Summer not doing what she needs to do? The question was, oh my God, what's wrong with her? Because that's not her. So it really upsets me because I know how difficult that would be for someone who didn't have that benefit.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (09:11.318)

Yeah. Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (09:20.394)

Right? Yeah.

 

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (09:32.606)

Yeah, yeah, that is such an excellent point. And so I have to ask if someone is diagnosed when they're younger and they don't have that kind of reputation, like you said, it's so hard. If they haven't established that, you know, I am a hard worker, I want to do my best, but I'm dealing with these difficult symptoms and, you know, I want to work and or I need to work. What would you say to those people who are struggling with that kind of situation?

 

Summer Dashe (09:59.354)

Well, and I now have experience sort of being up against that because I did have to leave news because of this. And so I left an industry where I had this stellar reputation in the news industry. The news industry is very small, very tight-knit. Everyone knows everyone. You ask a reporter at a station in South Carolina if they know someone in California, of course they do. So my reputation in that industry was very protected in that sense. I left, and I now work.

 

in science communications in an industry that's nuclear, environmental, and medical. No one knew me there!

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (10:33.895)

Right, right.

 

Summer Dashe (10:36.73)

You know, when I was applying for the job, the weirdest part about being me applying for a job is when I apply anywhere, what do you think people do when they look at a candidate? They're gonna Google their name. What comes up when you Google Summer Dashe All of this stuff about POTS, Ehlers- Dan los Syndrome, spinal fluid, everything, that's what you get when you Google me. So I cannot hide this. That is a blessing and a curse. But for me, when I was going into this new industry,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (10:57.418)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (11:06.258)

And that's a whole different discussion about applying for the job. But once you're in there, on a day to day basis, the only way to handle this is to be appropriately honest. That's what I call it. We have to, unfortunately, recognize the stereotypes that exist about disabled people. And when we are crafting our...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (11:17.539)

Oh

 

Summer Dashe (11:29.03)

conversations about our conditions, keep those in mind. That's a burden that we have to carry. Is it fair? Nope. Is it real? Yup. So I am...

 

In a way, overly honest, the things that I share, you legally don't have to. But I find that it is very important to explain the why behind why I'm asking something. For instance, if I'm asking for an accommodation. If I write, I would like to ask for an accommodation due to a medical condition where I have a later start time and I work 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. instead of 8 to 5. And I don't include the why there.

 

What are they going to think? She likes to sleep in.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (12:10.155)

Right, right.

 

Summer Dashe (12:10.978)

Is that the case? No. So I appropriately write in facts. And I'll say, this condition commonly causes people to feel very sick upon getting upright. I'll even usually link to some sort of document about the specific symptoms that cause me to ask for this request. So that way, they're not going to be able to fill in the gaps in their head about the questions they have of why I'm making the ask. Additionally, I'm really funny about it.

 

I sort of say I'm really shameless about it because I don't have a choice. I want my life, I want my career. This sucks and I'm sick all the time. The only way I will possibly be able to be successful and have these symptoms is to be honest about them. I was laying on the floor in our new studio the other day and we did work like that and I was like, sorry guys, I'm dying. Like.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (13:07.348)

Ha ha!

 

Summer Dashe (13:08.174)

You know, it's like, but I also make it so that nobody's worrying. Like I go, don't worry, I'm good. I just have to lay here for a minute, but let's keep going with the meeting. And it's like, I make sure it's not distracting. Like, oh my God, do we need to call an ambulance? She's on the floor. No.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (13:16.428)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (13:21.047)

Right, right.

 

Summer Dashe (13:21.93)

I'll make a joke about it and we move right on. The way you handle it as the employee is the example for how others will handle it too. So I try to handle it appropriately honest, funny, and acknowledge it and move on. And that's how it has worked for me.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (13:38.998)

Wow, oh my gosh, that is such a perfect little vignette in there about how people can manage these really, really challenging conversations. And I think the idea about injecting a little bit of humor is probably helpful because people don't know what to do. They don't know how to respond.

 

Summer Dashe (13:59.586)

Right. And, you know, unfortunately, we all know this, our job sometimes is to make other people comfortable.

 

Again, are these things fair? No, but when we're strictly talking about the workplace, you have to accept that. Do I hope that society gets to a better place where disabilities are more normal, more acceptable, more digestible to a healthy person? Of course, but this is the reality right now. And so making other people comfortable with your symptoms goes a long way, especially if you're cool with your coworkers. I love my coworkers. So...

 

a testament to them, they've allowed me to be comfortable acting this way. So that is huge. You've got to be with people who can support your success. And you have to find a job that works with your symptoms, not against them.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (14:41.516)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (14:52.286)

Right. And one thing I'm thinking of too, as you're talking about this is the pros and cons of a lot of remote work that people are doing nowadays. So on the one hand, if you have medical problems, you have POTS or EDS, you can work around those symptoms maybe a little bit easier. But on the other hand, when you're working remotely, you don't have the same kind of relationship with your coworkers, at least, at least I would think that you would have a different relationship. You don't have that, you know, kind of water cooler type conversations.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (15:22.306)

pros and cons, I guess, of working remotely versus in person for people that have these chronically and very, very complicated problems.

 

Summer Dashe (15:31.418)

That is a really good point to bring up, that you don't have that same, the water cooler conversations where people can get to know who you are aside from your illness. That's a really good point. And I'm in a really interesting situation where I see both sides of this. So on the one hand, first and foremost, the pandemic is horrible, COVID is horrible, but there are silver linings. They do not negate the horrible, but one of those silver linings

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (15:40.567)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (15:58.325)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (16:01.352)

is the surge in remote work opportunities. I would not be working right now if remote work was not possible, period. I would not be in the workforce. When I left news, I knew I had to get a remote job.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (16:11.598)

Sure.

 

Summer Dashe (16:18.746)

because I knew that I could not, or at least part-time remote, part-time in office. And that's what my position is. It's hybrid, so three days a week we are at home and two days we're in office. Recently I had to request an accommodation to work full-time remote because I haven't been doing very well. So that being said, I have a really unique situation. I'm a contractor to the United States government. So I work for a private company, that research and engineering company,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (16:42.083)

Oh.

 

Summer Dashe (16:49.066)

the Department of Energy. So I work in a federal building. That's where my coworkers are. My company though, my boss, my employer is in a different building. I never see them. So it's a little bit like being remote in that sense. No matter where I am, I'm not seeing them. They really don't know me. So what I've made sure to do is, silly as it sounds, they have a holiday party every year. Go to that and make sure I'm introducing myself to people and they have a face to the name kind of thing.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (17:19.01)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (17:19.06)

If there's any exciting news about my company like they just redid their website I emailed the CEO and the VP and said oh my gosh the new website looks awesome you guys They don't even see me ever, but at least they know this random chick who does their communications at DOE likes the new website

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (17:36.107)

Right, right.

 

Summer Dashe (17:37.474)

just like little things like that to create those moments is something that I've done in that situation. So I think that could be applied also if you're remote is injecting yourself into conversations that are going to be positive for you whenever you can and taking those opportunities. And then, you know, of course, whenever there is a chance to see people, if you're able to do it. If not that, then I would say setting up, you know, bi-monthly meetings with your boss or whatever,

 

to chat and whatnot. My boss and I are in constant communication. He and I call all the time. So we're still having those moments where we're chatting about things that aren't work related and whatnot. And then it's really fun when we all see each other in the office. So first and foremost, I would say, I think remote work is the best thing that could have happened for disabled people. I think it has opened up opportunities that we could not have done. And that's another note. I cannot stand the quote,

 

When people say things there are different versions of this but things like she never let her disability stop her. Um My disability stops me constantly and that's alright my disability stopped me from being a news anchor I could not do that anymore with this It's stopped me from a lot of things What's changed is I looked at that accepted what I could not do and figured out what I could do and ran after that so

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (18:44.222)

Oh, yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (19:07.298)

virtual remote opportunities have created more of those jobs that work with our symptoms and not against them.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (19:15.854)

Yeah, that's amazing. I love that you figured out, okay, I need to make some changes, and I'm going to figure out what I can do and run with it because a lot of people have to pivot. And it's hard, you know, it's really, really hard to make those changes. So in terms of asking for accommodations, what would you say, and or working with co workers, communicating with co workers, what would you say has been the most surprising thing?

 

Summer Dashe (19:41.854)

it's always way scarier in my head than it actually turns out being.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (19:46.354)

Interesting.

 

Summer Dashe (19:47.766)

But I build it up in my head like, oh my gosh, this is going to be so scary and they're going to think I'm the worst and they're going to think I'm lazy and I'm like a thorn in the side. Oh my gosh, it's not a big deal. Again, handling it though the way I do where it's appropriate honesty, a little bit of humor if needed, and then informed reasoning behind the ask. I am also, keep in mind, a former investigative reporter. So

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (19:51.)

Ha ha!

 

Summer Dashe (20:15.706)

I get everything in writing. I am very by the books. Even if I think that they're gonna be cool and nice about it, I don't care, I want documentation. I have to protect myself. And you know, I was an investigative reporter, I'm very used to not trusting anyone. So that has served me well. Try being married to me.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (20:24.983)

Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (20:32.181)

Hahaha!

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (20:38.51)

Ah!

 

Oh my gosh.

 

Summer Dashe (20:41.167)

I'll usually write up a letter and like when I asked for the accommodation to work from home, I wrote up a letter and I also...

 

You know, we don't need to be melodramatic, but I think having a little bit of emotion in there is fine. I think it makes you human. I said, I am really disappointed to have to ask for this. I wish this weren't the case, but here's what's going on. I'm hoping that I can have the flexibility to work from home full-time if I need to. I would like to come in whenever I'm able to, but because of my symptoms, it's become difficult. I also make sure to say that I can still do every single thing I've been doing.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (20:54.198)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (21:17.558)

with this accommodation. My ability to do the job doesn't change as long as I have this accommodation. And that's the point of an accommodation is to make sure you have the ability to succeed in your role. And I do, I can still do everything I did in the office from home. So nothing changes for them. What I'm producing for them is gonna be the same quality of work as always. And in fact, I wrote in there, my quality may improve with this accommodation because I will feel better.

 

My brain will work better and I'll be able to produce better content.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (21:49.882)

Oh, I love that so much because I think, I think so often we think about accommodations and people think, well, I'm entitled to an accommodation, but they don't necessarily realize from the employer's standpoint. You know, the idea of the accommodation, like you said, is so that you can still continue to work. It's not, it's not, you know, so that you can have people that are not able to do the tasks that are needed to be done. So, you know, they have also they have to get the work done.

 

Summer Dashe (22:11.702)

Exactly.

 

Summer Dashe (22:16.964)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (22:17.066)

So they have to have the people that can do the work, but yeah, working together like that, I think you have such a beautiful balance of strength and humor, but also, you know, it takes courage, right? I mean, it takes a lot of courage to ask for these things. And you know, you have to be kind, but yet also like firm. So yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (22:32.55)

Because... Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (22:42.77)

Yeah, yeah, and you know, being a news anchor taught you that. When they teach you how to speak on the news, they say you want to be conversational but authoritative. That's sort of what a news anchor goes for. You want to be someone who people connect with and they like, but you also have to be authoritative because you are an authoritative figure. So, I mean, I say it all the time. Being a journalist trained me to be a chronically ill person.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (22:45.326)

Hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (22:52.233)

Mmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (23:10.911)

Oh my god. Yes.

 

Summer Dashe (23:12.266)

in a really weird way, trained me for how to navigate this. I have these skills that I don't know, I don't know how people navigate being chronically ill and getting the right help and whatever else without one of two things, either being in the medical field or being a trained journalist. I don't know how they do it.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (23:15.978)

Right, wow.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (23:35.294)

I love the two paths because I'm also thinking to myself, another person that I know who's just so good at advocating for herself and doing it in a way that, for the healthcare professionals, they feel like they are going to be able to succeed. So that motivates people to help other people, right? And she's in communications, so, yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (23:37.871)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (23:53.713)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (23:59.464)

Oh funny!

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (24:00.542)

Yeah, so it's really funny that you say that because I think that is those are important skills that we don't always learn, you know, it's That human interaction, especially nowadays, right, we are not as good as we used to be.

 

Summer Dashe (24:10.042)

Yeah.

 

Right, absolutely. And it kind of breaks my heart because I go, if I'm having as much trouble as I'm having navigating all of this and I have this skillset, what about everyone else? I worry constantly for all the other patients. It's just, it's sad.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (24:29.506)

Yeah.

 

Yeah, yeah. And that's a perfect lead into my next question, which is how do you manage the unpredictability of POTS in everyday life?

 

Summer Dashe (24:42.066)

People often say I'm so graceful about this. I'm not.

 

at all? I don't know. I mean, I'm really hard on myself too, so I would say, oh, I'm not managing it well. I think people around me would be like, are you kidding? You're doing a great job.

 

Summer Dashe (25:04.379)

This has been an extremely difficult few months for lots of reasons. So it's been an exceptionally difficult time to be navigating everything medical right now. When things are a little bit calmer and a little bit more regular, even then, as you mentioned, my symptoms are unpredictable. That being said, I know, here's, I think, the number one thing to do if you have unpredictable symptoms.

 

know your limit and at least that's predictable. When are my symptoms so bad that I can't push through them anymore? And then you have to just kind of make decisions based on that. So I will be asked to do things, not work related, you know, things like this podcast or other speaking engagements and whatnot. I'll sit there and look at it and go, okay.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (25:36.002)

Mmm.

 

Summer Dashe (25:55.758)

Here's the week it is on my calendar. Here's what I've got going on at work. Here's what I've got going on outside of work. Can I realistically get to this podcast and push through this with my symptoms or do I really have to say no to this one because the last thing I want is to have to cancel. That's not what I want. So in order to remain a reliable member of the workforce and a reliable member of life, I have to know my.

 

boundaries. I have to know that. So is there a chance I woke up today and it was like totally intolerable and I had to cancel? Yes, but for me that doesn't happen often. It has happened. I've had to cancel on things, but I don't think that anyone at my job would call me unreliable. I know that I can push through for a couple hours. So...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (26:23.351)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (26:46.438)

For instance, part of the reason I asked for the accommodation to work from home now is because I still go out and do shoots. I shoot video and I'm basically like a reporter and an anchor for the Department of Energy. So I still go out and do those shoots. I know that if I have a shoot on a Wednesday that's going to be maybe two hours, I have to go home after that so that I can work the rest of the day at home.

 

I can't do that and go back to the office and be upright and working for the next six hours. So that's where my limit is. I know if I wake up and I'm puking and I'm a mess, I can get through that interview though. I can do it as long as I know I can go home after. So that's how I've managed it is knowing where that limit is and then trying to live underneath it.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (27:31.514)

Oh, that's brilliant. That's really brilliant. And it's gonna be different for each person, right? So, yeah. And it may move over time. Yeah, that's the hard part. But I think, yeah, yeah. But I think that's such a great approach. I love that. So you did a report on POTS in 2019 while working as a news anchor, and that was about six months after you were diagnosed. What do you wish you could tell yourself back then that you know now?

 

Summer Dashe (27:36.006)

Absolutely, yeah. That's changed for me over time, yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (27:58.178)

Oh gosh, well there are things I wish I'd tell myself and then there are things I wish I wouldn't tell myself. I would tell myself, I wish someone had been more honest and maybe brutally honest with the fact that this was not gonna go away. I thought when I was diagnosed, like I think a lot of patients are, I was ecstatic. I was so relieved and so happy to finally have a diagnosis. My mom was with me.

 

at Vanderbilt, I remember, and she and I were bouncing off the walls after that appointment. We're like, she has POTS! She has POTS! Yay! She has POTS! Which now I'm like, oh my god! Don't say yay, it's horrible! More than time we're like, okay, well, now that I've got the diagnosis, I can manage it. They say I can manage it. They say I can manage it! I hate that term, by the way. I can't manage it. This is awful.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (28:55.277)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (28:56.774)

You just think once you have the diagnosis, there's something you can do about it. It doesn't occur to you that it's not really exact. I mean, it's kind of treatable, kind of not. They don't really know what it is entirely. We've got lots of science happening, whatnot. You do not realize as a healthy person, you don't realize there's a gray area. I call it purgatory, not to be negative. But

 

There's life, there's death, and there's purgatory. There's a terminal diagnosis where you're going to die soon. There's a diagnosis that's curable and you're going to live. And then there's purgatory, where you get a diagnosis that isn't treatable, curable, isn't totally understood. That's where we fall. So I wish someone had been more honest with me about that, that this was gonna be lifelong. And I understand that as healthcare,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (29:40.971)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (29:51.296)

as doctors, when we make this diagnosis, you know, you don't want patients to be devastated and, you know, have no hope. But I also, for me at least, being someone who likes the truth and honesty, I wish that someone had flat out told me you are not going to get, you're not going to get cured. Because I spent then, when I started doing medication trials, it was a harder fall for me when the meds didn't work.

 

because I thought I didn't know that was an option. I thought I'd take medicine and I'd get better. And that's when the medication started and I wasn't getting better and they weren't working, I think that was harder for me because I wasn't mentally prepared that was a possibility. So I would go back and tell myself that...

 

this is going to suck, this is going to be really hard, this is going to completely derail your life, but you're going to figure it out. You're going to have the coolest opportunities because of this. You're going to meet the most ridiculously awesome people and you're you. You're going to figure it out and you're going to be all right. It's going to suck, but you're going to be all right. I would not tell myself that I would have to leave news because I would not have survived that information back then.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (31:03.17)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Wow, that's really, really interesting. And and it's I appreciate that you are sharing what you would and would not both. You know, I mean, because. It's so important for people that are maybe they're suspecting that they have POTS or they're recently diagnosed and, you know, some people I've heard some stories of some people who have who have been, quote unquote, cured or, you know, they feel completely recovered. But.

 

Summer Dashe (31:31.067)

her.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (31:31.542)

The statistics are definitely not favorable for that. It seems like, well, I'm sorry, I should back up. It seems like when I've had family members diagnosed and it seems like at that time they're like, oh, 90% of people completely recover from POTS. No, no. I don't know that those statistics have been updated, but I feel like it's by far the exception, not the norm to have, you know, like, to like get your life back, you know? So, yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (31:47.315)

Right, right.

 

Summer Dashe (31:54.831)

Yes.

 

Summer Dashe (32:00.364)

Right. And we know that there are so many comorbidities that make your

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (32:05.567)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (32:06.258)

Outcomes so much different. So you're right. There are people who will go on to improve tremendously But I wish someone had been more honest about the fact that this is a condition that is considered for most people to be lifelong and It's gonna be a bumpy road to figure out what works. I didn't know that I thought give me a beta blocker I'll be good. Guess what beta blockers don't work for me Yeah, yeah

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (32:09.1)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (32:29.534)

Yeah. And when that happened, did you blame yourself to some extent?

 

Summer Dashe (32:38.503)

I blamed myself, you know what, not the medication necessarily, it was this tremendous push for physical therapy where I really blamed myself because unfortunately I am not someone that physical therapy has really helped a whole lot. I did it for two years straight. It helps a little so I don't want to discount that.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (32:41.934)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (32:46.168)

Mm.

 

Summer Dashe (32:56.814)

However, what I liked the most about physical therapy for me was you have to remember, I was extremely active before this. So going to physical therapy to me felt kind of like when I'd go to the gym to my fitness team. It was like, I at least felt like I was doing something good for myself. Like this was such an out of control thing that nothing was helping, that at least I could go do a thing that I knew was good for my body. Whether you have an illness or not,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (33:04.429)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (33:25.682)

movement and trying to be a healthy person like a normal healthy person would be is a good thing if you can. So to me that felt good. But then there was such an emphasis on if you just work out you'll get better. And I was doing that and I was swimming and I was going to PT and I was doing all these things and I wasn't getting better. And I'm thinking you're just lazy. You didn't work hard enough. You didn't work out hard enough. You're just fat.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (33:49.13)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (33:52.726)

It's all, you know, all these things. And it's like, that's so sad looking back. I wish I could hug myself back then because I know it wasn't my fault. So that piece of it, that was hard for me.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (33:57.558)

Yeah. Oh, yes. Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (34:06.055)

Yeah, yeah. And you said, you've said publicly that you didn't believe that you had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome when you first diagnosed. Why did you have trouble accepting that diagnosis and what changed your mind?

 

Summer Dashe (34:19.286)

It was hard to accept that for me because I could not comprehend that I had this thing my whole life and nobody knew it and I never knew it. That's hard to wrap your head around. I was 26, wait, 28 I guess when I was diagnosed. I was 28 when they tell me I have a genetic connective tissue disorder which means I would have had it my whole life. And you're just telling me now?

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (34:27.469)

Mm. Right. Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (34:41.705)

Right? Right.

 

Summer Dashe (34:44.826)

You know, but looking back, like so many EDS patients, all the signs were there. I was a gymnast, I was on dance team my whole life. I was a cheerleader. So I was good at those things because I was Bendy and whatnot. There are pictures of me as a kid and as a teenager and whatnot, and I'm doing a high V and cheerleading and my elbows are, I remember thinking when I was like 10 years old on the little kids cheer squad, and I'd look at pictures of all of us with our arms up in a high V, and I didn't know why mine looked broken.

 

because I was, you know, they'd go, straighten your arms, straighten your arms. I'd walk them so hard, I'd walk my elbows so hard. They're straight, they're straight, why do they look like that? Nobody could match. Yeah, so those things, but then I felt like.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:19.575)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:23.178)

Right? Oh, oh wow. Wow. Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (35:30.722)

when you start looking up Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and y'all have to keep in mind that this was before I had educated myself like I have now. So I was still a brand new baby patient and I didn't know things yet. And when you first start Googling Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, I didn't even understand there were more than a dozen types. I didn't know that some are more horrible than others, whatever, and looking this up going, there's no way I have this, I'm not that bad. I don't...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:38.926)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:49.494)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:53.036)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (35:58.317)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (35:59.118)

I don't dislocate, that one had me convinced it wasn't EDS because I don't dislocate. I don't have crazy stretchy skin, so I was like, this isn't it. I have terrible scarring, I have other things. So that combination just kind of went, you know what, what if they just said I had EDS because they don't really know what causes POTS and they're just throwing that out there.

 

So finally, what convinced me, and this is a pretty funny little moment, was I went to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I went to their Ehlers-Danlos Clinic. It had, I think, just opened at the time with Dr. Knight. I went down there in 2021, I believe, and I kind of went thinking.

 

I am being so dramatic right now. I don't even have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Why am I doing this? But at that point I had gotten so bad and my symptoms had progressed so much that I thought I've tried everything for POTS. If there, like there has to be something else going on here. So I went down there and my very first appointment with Dr. Knight, the director of the EDS clinic down there, he does the Beighton scale on me. He's looking at me and I go,

 

you see this all the time, right? Like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. He said, all the time, that's all you see. And he goes, yeah. And I go, are you sure I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? My mom is sitting next to me, she goes, Summer, you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. And I was like, mom, hold on, are you sure? And he goes, yeah, I think you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. So that was kind of the moment I went, okay, if this guy who's like kind of a big deal in EDS and always says EDS, says I have EDS,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (37:36.533)

Oh.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (37:41.975)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (37:45.503)

I guess, I guess it could be true.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (37:47.734)

Right, right. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Did that change your treatment strategy after that?

 

Summer Dashe (37:55.026)

Absolutely, and I know there is discussion about the importance of getting the diagnosis people say well Why do I need a diagnosis if there's not much I can do about it well?

 

There are things you can do about it, as you've talked about on this podcast time and time again. It changed my approach to how I was looking at my condition. I was thinking POTS was my number one illness and that EDS was this little thing in the background that caused Bendy fingers. I now look at it as EDS is the beast that probably

 

caused POTS or their neck and neck, whatever science decides here. There's so much conflicting information, but I really started looking at it as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is my primary condition. POTS is something that occurred with it because of it, whatever it is. And that, I also started to honor the fact that I might have comorbidities that exist with EDS. And if I...

 

do, then I need to get those checked out and I need to treat those and maybe my condition gets better. I was throwing everything I had at POTS and nothing helped. Well, now I need to go down the EDS rabbit hole because if that's the real beast here, then I need to start respecting it. And things like the spinal fluid leak, I never would have thought that was possible without EDS.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (39:24.586)

Right, right. And I'm working on this documentary right now on the triad. I don't know if you've listened to that episode at all, but the triad being EDS POTS and MCAS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. And it's so fascinating because you hear people talk about, well, no, this causes that and this, we don't really know. The bottom line is we do not know. We know that these things overlap a lot, but we don't know what's the chicken and what's the egg or what's the head of the snake and what's the tail.

 

Summer Dashe (39:43.098)

We don't really know.

 

Great.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (39:54.898)

It'll be interesting to see what we find out in the next number of years for sure.

 

Summer Dashe (39:59.446)

Well, I'm involved a lot in medical, and that is one of those things where I would also go back and tell myself that too. I'd go, you're gonna get really involved in really cool things with medical, and you're gonna love that part. So I'm always really careful with what I say online and go, I'm not a doctor. I know my place in this world, and I will never intentionally speak inappropriately in that way, but I do talk to a lot of researchers on this condition.

 

Fascinating to me to hear the kind of research that's happening in this space and you go, you know If they find a genetic cause of EDS or of POTS that might just be one of a hundred genetic causes so it's just It's really interesting and it gives me a lot of hope but it also I think for the average person who hasn't had access to all these researchers like I have they may not understand that

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (40:43.159)

Yes.

 

Summer Dashe (40:56.278)

we may not be talking about one discovery to cure this. We're talking about lots of different combinations and formulations to find the cure for different people.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (41:00.145)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (41:07.486)

Yeah, yeah, most definitely. And that's a perfect lead into, you know, I know that you serve on a number of patient and community medical boards and you're very well connected in the dysautonomia space. How do you think the future looks in terms of awareness, treatment and cure?

 

Summer Dashe (41:25.942)

I think this is a bold statement. I am 33 years old. If I live a long life to 80 or 90 or 100, I think I will see a cure in my lifetime. And that is something I would not have thought three years ago. Oh, did I freeze or am I okay?

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (41:30.282)

Ah!

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (41:52.342)

You froze very briefly. Can I ask the question again? Just so I'm going to say the word mistake. And yeah, I was like waiting. Sometimes it doesn't quite catch up and it's actually fine, but it's better to have it recorded twice. And I didn't word that question great anyway. So I'm going to say the word mistake again and I'll feed you the question again.

 

Summer Dashe (41:58.787)

Listen!

 

Summer Dashe (42:04.114)

Okay. Yes.

 

Summer Dashe (42:09.786)

Thanks.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (42:14.326)

You serve on several patient and community medical boards and are so well connected in the dysautonomia space. How do you think the future looks in terms of awareness, treatment and cure?

 

Summer Dashe (42:25.202)

So I think, and this is a bit of a bold statement, but I think I'm 33 years old. If I live a long life to 80, 90, 100, I think I will see a cure in my lifetime. That is not something I thought two years ago, even maybe a year ago. But.

 

with the conversations that I have had between all these different boards on which I serve and the different researchers and doctors I've spoken to, not for my medical appointments, but just for learning and understanding.

 

I think we are doing, there is so much more happening with genetic research right now that is so mind blowing. We think about electric vehicles and that we didn't have those when I was a kid. So we have the technology for that. We have the technology to send people to space. We have internet that hasn't been around all that long. Those things are now being used in

 

genetic research. And I think that's going to get us the answers that a lot of us have been looking for.

Linda Bluestein, MD (44:43.55)

Okay, and this is probably the last question before I ask you for the hypermobility hack. So we just have to like get it to hang on for just a few more seconds. Oh, I know what I was gonna ask you. So speaking of technology, you recently shared that you were in a very, very scary car accident and you shared about the technology that was so pivotal in communicating with your family. 

Linda Bluestein, MD (48:09.247)

 

Oh, OK. I'll try asking you the question one more time and then we'll like try to quickly wrap up. So we so we don't lose what we have. OK. So you were in a very serious car accident recently and there was you shared online on social media that there was some technology that really helped communicate with your family and everything. And of course, I'm dying to know how you're feeling after this car accident.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (49:39.25)

Okay, so speaking of technology, you were recently in a very scary car accident and technology was really important in communicating with your family. Can you just tell me how you're feeling after that very, very scary accident?

 

Summer Dashe (49:56.566)

Well, thank you for asking. I know we got a lot of feedback on Twitter and whatnot about that So thank you also to everybody who? Even cared about that. That was like so unbelievably nice it was it was so Terrifying I am doing. Okay. I have a concussion. I've got like a burn on my wrist I had my hand on the wheel when the

 

airbag deployed and so my wrist got sort of burned and bruised and it's all swollen and yucky and then on top of that not only did I get in this terrible car crash but because my hand was on the horn I punched myself in the face. Sorry. So I joke that you know like I must really hate myself because not only did I get in a wreck but then I had to have my hand on the horn and I got to punch myself in the face to top it all off. So um.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (50:43.452)

Oh no.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (50:54.95)

Oh no.

 

Summer Dashe (50:56.49)

It was, it was bad. It was really bad. An older man was driving an Escalade. He said he wasn't paying attention and he just pulled out in front of me. I had almost no time to stop. I was on a main road and I slammed into an Escalade in a little tiny red convertible going about 40 miles per hour. This is, this podcast is really the first like thing I've done since the wreck.

Summer Dashe (51:23.658)

So thank you so much for having me on it. And I was, you know, a lot of people were like, oh, are you okay to do the podcast? And I said, don't worry.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (51:29.738)

Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (51:32.918)

She offered to let me reschedule. I want to do this because I wanted to see how it went. And I knew if there were ever an audience out there who would be kind, if I lost my words and things like that, it would be this one. So really the hardest part right now is the concussion. I still am just kind of, you know, my husband says you're not acting quite right and losing my words a lot still. And I can't drive at the moment, obviously, because of that. And it kind of comes and goes, like, I'll have clear moments and really weird moments

 

and I have no car, I don't really even want a car right now because I don't think I'm ever gonna wanna drive again. So yeah, but everybody, I was blown away by the response from people, but ultimately that, yeah, it was my Apple Watch that called 911 from my car.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (52:10.422)

Yeah, no, that's understandable. Yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (52:25.958)

I regained consciousness to the sound of my Apple Watch calling 911 through my speakers. So your Apple Watch, when it detects a crash, if you have crash detection on, it will alert you. It buzzes on your wrist a bunch and a loud siren goes. And if you don't turn it off, it gives you about 20 seconds to turn it off. And if you don't, it calls 911 and this looped recording says, the driver has, or the owner

 

of this Apple Watch has been in a severe car crash and is not responding. And then it gives the coordinates of your location. So that's what I heard when I regained consciousness was that call.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (53:02.914)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (53:10.69)

And additionally, my emergency contacts all got a text message alert saying Summer Dashe has been in a car crash and it sent them my map location. So, um, by the time I got myself out of the car and to the side of the road, 911 had already been dispatched. My family was frantic and, uh, my boss is one of my emergency contacts and he got the alert 

 

Summer Dashe (53:54.54)

So my boss got the alert because he is one of my emergency contacts and incredibly I was supposed to go meet them for a meeting and they were in a van. It was like four of my co-workers. They turned the van around and came to the crash site.

So my boss actually got the alert because he was one of my emergency contacts. And at the time he was in a van with three of my coworkers, three other coworkers, and they turned the van around and came to find me at the crash site. I had already, I know I had already been taken to the hospital at that point, but it was unbelievably kind and I will never forget that in my whole life. I work with the best people ever.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (56:00.386)

Wow.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (56:10.67)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (56:11.242)

And the fact that technology worked so rapidly and so well, I'm really lucky between seatbelt, airbags, Apple Watch, crash detection, everything that needed to work worked and I'm alive.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (56:22.316)

Yeah.

 

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, thank God. I'm so glad I saw the pictures of the car, your car. And yeah, I just immediately was like, Oh, my gosh, I hope Summer's okay. Because that was just like that was those pictures were scary, you know, and to think this person was inside that car and already has chronic illnesses. So you know, we know that those things can be just life changing. So I'm so glad that you're doing as well as you are. And of course, we're all

 

Summer Dashe (56:50.688)

Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (56:53.686)

praying for a very speedy recovery and everything. So I was like to end with a hypermobility hack. So do you have a hypermobility hack to share with us?

 

Summer Dashe (56:57.83)

Please.

 

Summer Dashe (57:05.154)

Yes, I do. Is it okay if my doggy's in this one with me? So, and for anyone who doesn't know, this is Sunday. She's on my social media all the time. My hypermobility hack is that...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (57:07.346)

Of course, of course.

 

Summer Dashe (57:18.482)

Even if you're not pregnant, get a pregnancy pillow. It is life changing. A few months ago, I was having a lot of trouble where if I, when I'd go to sleep at night, I would have that slipping rib Syndrome. I'd wake up with like what felt like a dislocated rib. And it was awful. It was so painful. And I didn't know what to do about it. I think you and I had messaged about a little bit. You had talked about it. And that pregnancy body pillow,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (57:37.838)

Mm.

 

Summer Dashe (57:48.394)

is what ultimately has, I don't have that anymore. I don't wake up with my ribs in place. It has completely fixed that because I can keep my leg up and my arm up so that my spine and everything is like perfectly aligned. And then I don't move at all at night. So I think I wake up in the morning and so far after about, I don't know how long I've been using that, maybe six months, no more flipped rib.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (57:53.174)

Wow.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (58:16.366)

Wow, which is really great because, you know, there's various different things we can do for slipped ribs, but we don't wanna do surgery for that or any other condition if we can avoid it. If you have POTS, you know, any kind of surgery is likely to flare your POTS. And of course, surgery is always challenging when you have POTS. But also if you have EDS, then, you know, oftentimes the surgery doesn't deal with the underlying problem. So if you can come up with a solution like that, that's incredible. So I'm so glad.

 

Summer Dashe (58:42.274)

Yeah, and it has helped, you know, my back pain is a lot better with that too. So it's just helped any widespread pain. Is it a cure to pain? No, but it has really, I've tried everything and of all the tools I've tried, my pregnancy pillow is like my, it's my number one tool that I have. And the little one likes to snuggle up on it too. So it's a win-win for us.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (58:48.718)

Wow.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (58:52.908)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (58:59.065)

Oh

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (59:08.254)

Yeah, that's perfect. And Sunday's so adorable. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

 

Summer Dashe (59:12.814)

She's had her little scar, I don't know if you guys can see, but she's got a little scar on her tummy.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (59:17.491)

Oh, poor thing. Oh, she's so adorable. Oh my gosh.

 

Summer Dashe (59:22.725)

I joke that I'm chronically ill and I also have a chronically ill dog.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (59:26.602)

And I just took a screenshot of that because that was so darn cute. Not that I couldn't do that later, I guess I didn't think about that. But anyway, Summer, thank you so much for chatting with me today. I'm so grateful and especially given the circumstances, you know, I just am so grateful to get to talk with you and I'm so grateful that you're here and that you're doing as well as you are. And I hope that you just continue to feel better and better and recover completely from this.

 

Summer Dashe (59:30.764)

Thank you, Jesus.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (59:55.406)

from this scary accident and that you're such an inspiration in how you handle these conditions that suck. I mean, like you said, they really, really suck. There's no two ways about it. So I've been dying to meet you. So such a great honor and really appreciate having you on the show.

 

Summer Dashe (01:00:17.574)

Thank you so, so much. And I promise to keep everybody posted. I know the big question is how will I recover long-term from something like a concussion? And that's my greatest fear too. So I will keep people posted and thank you to you because the reason I even talk about this online is because there are so few resources for patients with these conditions. And so thank you so much for being one of those places where we can find.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:00:25.387)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (01:00:42.15)

the limited information that is out there. I am so grateful. I can't tell you how many times you've posted an upcoming topic and I'm like, oh yes, I was just wondering about that. So thank you so, so much. I push people to your podcast a lot when they need resources and I am just honored that you even thought I was worthy of being on it. So thank you.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:01:02.318)

Oh, yes, of course, of course. And I really appreciate the kind words. And I always love getting suggestions and suggested speakers, suggested topics, because I want to make this as helpful as possible for people that are part of this community. Because like you said, at the same time that there's kind of an abundance of information, there's also like in terms of practical things that we can do, there isn't necessarily a lot. So yeah, so I'm just.

 

Summer Dashe (01:01:26.544)

Yeah.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:01:31.282)

so happy that we got to chat finally and just want to remind everyone that you've been listening to the Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD podcast and your guest today was Summer Dashe. Summer, you're just such an incredible person and I feel like so many people are going to gain inspiration from this and some skills of how to communicate better in the workplace and things like that. Thank you again.

 

Summer Dashe (01:01:58.498)

Well, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it. I hope it was helpful.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:02:02.482)

Yes, most definitely.

 

Okay, I'm gonna hit stop. Now that's funny, because it finally like at the end was fine. You know what? Should we super quick record like that section about the Apple watch, because I could always move it if, yeah, because I feel like that was really powerful and now it seems like our connection is perfectly fine.

 

Summer Dashe (01:02:22.546)

Sure.

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:03:38.526)

Okay, so I'm just gonna, I'll just tee it up slightly. So there was a piece of technology that was really important after this car accident. Can you just very briefly tell us about that?

 

Summer Dashe (01:03:56.017)

Okay.

 

Summer Dashe (01:04:02.958)

Yeah, so incredibly, it was my iPhone and my Apple watch. I lost consciousness for a few seconds. And the next thing that I remember from when I regained consciousness, at first I couldn't hear at all. All I could hear, it was kind of like in the movies after a bomb goes off and all they hear is the tone. And it's silence except for the tone in your head. That was exactly what this was like. It was like in the movies when the bomb goes off. So once my hearing returned,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:04:31.534)

Mm.

 

Summer Dashe (01:04:33.752)

I heard and I don't think my I don't think my vision had returned yet It was just my hearing and it was my Apple watch recording on loop to 911 dispatch it had crash detection turned on both my iPhone and my watch and It on impact began the crash detection process, which is where it'll start buzzing on your wrist for I think it's like 20 seconds

 

play a really loud siren so that you have time to turn it off if it's a mistake or if you're okay. I was unconscious, so clearly I was not okay. I couldn't turn it off. But amazingly, once it gets done with that countdown, it immediately called 911, played this loop that said something along the lines of the user of this iPhone has been in a severe crash and it listed my coordinates to dispatch. And it plays that on loop until

 

I don't know, you stop it or whatever. And that is what I heard when I first came back from being unconscious. And it was actually that sound that I think got me out of my car because I had no idea what was going on. I was so disoriented. And once my vision returned and I'm seeing this airbag and I'm seeing smoke or something, I was so out of it. But hearing the watch through the speakers in my car say severe crash detected, I went,

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:05:39.736)

Mm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:05:42.943)

Mm-hmm.

 

Summer Dashe (01:05:56.572)

I've been in a crash and then I look out my window and I am sideways on a road and I'm like, you have to get out. Oh my God, you survived. Don't die now. You have to get out and get to the side of the road or you're going to get hit again. So I bolted out of my car.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:06:05.968)

What?

 

Summer Dashe (01:06:11.526)

got myself out in my 4-inch stilettos, couldn't hear still totally right, couldn't see totally sight right, and I got myself to the side of the road and just sat on a stump in silence. And I still was, you know, my brain was not right. And I knew that, and I told EMTs that immediately, that I said something's wrong with my brain and I'm worried about my neck. But meantime.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:06:24.46)

Right.

 

Summer Dashe (01:06:31.41)

911 was already on the way. My family and my emergency contacts had all been notified with an automated text message That essentially said emergency sos Summer Dashe has been in a severe crash This is an automated text message to her emergency contacts and it shared my location So, uh, that is when my mom my sister my brother my best friends Started trying to get in touch with me calling 911 on their own

 

My boss is one of my emergency contacts, so he got it and he was in a van with three other employees and they turned the van around and came to the location to try to find me because I wasn't picking up my phone. So I am just so wildly grateful for that technology and for the fact that it worked. It was successful. It did what it needed to do and

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:07:09.454)

Wow.

 

Summer Dashe (01:07:22.27)

It was also helpful to me in the moment because I was so disoriented that I don't know if I would have, I don't even know if I would have regained consciousness as fast if I hadn't had this thing kind of waking me up and explaining to me that I'd been in a crash. So it worked beautifully and it even alerted all the way to the hospital until I got to the hospital and realized it was on and then turned it off. But people...

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:07:33.238)

Right, right, wow, yeah.

 

Summer Dashe (01:07:49.262)

my emergency contacts could see my location change and it would update them and go, Summer Dashe's location has changed and it should be a hospital. So just an incredible technology between that, the seatbelt, the airbags, every piece of technology that needed to work to make sure I lived worked and that's why I get to be here right now talking to you.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:07:55.49)

Right. Wow.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:08:09.586)

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Oh, that gives me goosebumps. And thank you so much for sharing that. I mean, you might save someone else's life, you know, by sharing that story. So thank you.

 

Summer Dashe (01:08:18.51)

You know, you read these, you can look it up and you read these incredible stories about how that crash detection has saved lives. I mean, thankfully I wasn't so injured that I was at risk of dying emergently, but still there are, just to know that that's working is incredible, makes me a little more peaceful for whenever I am brave enough to drive again, because I don't think that's gonna be a while.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:08:30.632)

Mm-hmm.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:08:35.647)

Right.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:08:42.598)

Yeah, no, totally understandable, totally understandable. All right, well, thank you so much. 

 

Summer Dashe (01:10:12.022)

sounds good. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so honored. I appreciate it.

 

Linda Bluestein, MD (01:10:15.182)

Oh, thank you. This was really a great conversation. I know a lot of people are going to love it. Okay, you too. Okay, bye.

 

Summer Dashe (01:10:19.502)

Thank you so, so much.