Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast
Sep 22, 2026 · 52 min · 16 segments
Brendon Paradis began to lose his vision out of nowhere. Doctors spend decades trying to stop the unexplained hemorrhaging in his retina with no success. Brendon has attempted to come to terms with…
Brendan ParadisGuest
Lauren Bright PachecoHost
Christina KozickiGuest
Keegan ParadisGuestIn 2001, Andrea and Brendan graduate from college and move into their first apartment together in Boston.
Brendan is 24 years old, has landed a great job, and the future is looking very bright.
But only one month into living together while driving to a restaurant, Brendan and Andrea notice that something might be wrong.
We were out one night and she was giving me directions because at that time you didn't have GPS.
The ophthalmologist wanted to have me read the charts, and then they dilated my eyes, and they took a look behind it, and...
It was strange because the doctor left the room and then she came back and she took another look and she wasn't really saying anything.
And then she left again and a gentleman came in and he wanted to take a look at it.
And that's when they told me they saw some inflammation and some leakage around the optic nerve and the retina.
The retina is a layer of cells at the back of your eyeball that converts light into nerve signals.
The optic nerve is the highway attached to the retina that sends those signals to your brain, where they become our sense of vision.
Leakage is the term used to describe fluid that is escaping into the retina and optic nerve.
They said, don't want to get you concerned, but it could be a variety of different things, but one of the things we want to eliminate is a brain tumor or brain hemorrhage, which, of course, your mind just goes sideways.
You went in for a standard eye exam and left thinking that you had a brain tumor? Good God.
Went home at probably 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon and was a basket case.
had gone from thinking maybe he just needs glasses to facing down the possibility of a brain tumor at just 24 years old.
In 2001, Andrea and Brendan graduate from college and move into their first apartment together in Boston.
Brendan is 24 years old, has landed a great job, and the future is looking very bright.
But only one month into living together while driving to a restaurant, Brendan and Andrea notice that something might be wrong.
We were out one night and she was giving me directions because at that time you didn't have GPS.
The ophthalmologist wanted to have me read the charts, and then they dilated my eyes, and they took a look behind it, and...
It was strange because the doctor left the room and then she came back and she took another look and she wasn't really saying anything.
And then she left again and a gentleman came in and he wanted to take a look at it.
And that's when they told me they saw some inflammation and some leakage around the optic nerve and the retina.
The retina is a layer of cells at the back of your eyeball that converts light into nerve signals.
The optic nerve is the highway attached to the retina that sends those signals to your brain, where they become our sense of vision.
Leakage is the term used to describe fluid that is escaping into the retina and optic nerve.
They said, don't want to get you concerned, but it could be a variety of different things, but one of the things we want to eliminate is a brain tumor or brain hemorrhage, which, of course, your mind just goes sideways.
You went in for a standard eye exam and left thinking that you had a brain tumor? Good God.
Went home at probably 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon and was a basket case.
had gone from thinking maybe he just needs glasses to facing down the possibility of a brain tumor at just 24 years old.
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