This week on "Sound Effect," we listen back to stories of survivors.
First, a man who finds a silver lining after surviving a brutal attack. After leaving a Tacoma karaoke bar one night, Jason Padgett was mugged by two men. He suffered a concussion and developed post-traumatic stress disorder. He also became one of just a handful of people to develop a condition known as acquired savant syndrome. Now he’s a mathematical genius. Host Gabriel Spitzer talks with Padgett about his life before and after the attack, and why, if he could somehow go back in time, he would choose to suffer the ordeal all over again.
Then, Autumn Rusch had been sick her entire life, living with a heart that was literally full of holes. By the age of 14, her heart had become so weak it could no longer support her. Gabriel Spitzer spoke with Autumn Rusch about surviving a heart transplant and the struggles many teens face once they leave the hospital.
Next, Gabriel Spitzer goes on a mission to track down Seattle's ill-fated million-dollar toilets. They survived a change in city policy. Gabriel's quest takes him to a Thurston County racetrack, where he meets toilet man Butch Behn.
Plus, a man who survived an earthquake as a young boy. He was saved by a school mate, who lost his own life in the disaster.
Finally, Linda Dahlstrom Anderson changed her name, not when she married her husband, but after the death of her son. Gabriel Spitzer speaks with Dahlstrom Anderson about the power of hearing the name of her son, Phoenix Anderson, and how that helped her survive this tragedy.
"Sound Effect" is your weekly tour of ideas, inspired by the place we live. The show is hosted by KPLU's Gabriel Spitzer.
