Also known as: Pancreatic cancer
A middle school teacher presents with back pain initially attributed to her work as a long-haul truck driver, but scans reveal a rare pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor requiring specialized endocrine surgery. Dr. Fuentes performs the surgery but discovers the tumor has invaded the stomach wall, leading to a critical decision about whether to proceed with radical resection that would save her life but end her career and quality of life.
Also known as: Bone cancer
A father with late-stage osteosarcoma experiences severe, increasing pain despite maximum treatment. His only wish is to survive three more months to walk his daughter Marissa down the aisle at her wedding. Dr. Kapoor uses Tibetan singing bowls to help him visualize attending the wedding, providing psychological comfort when medical options are exhausted.
Also known as: PTSD
A young man who survived the Nick's Grocery Massacre six years ago by hiding under his coworker's dead body seeks help from Dr. Frome. The trauma is complicated by his father's adoption of conspiracy theories claiming the shooting was a false flag operation, creating irreconcilable conflict between them about the reality of the traumatic event.
Also known as: Shared delusion
The father of a mass shooting survivor has developed fixed false beliefs that the Nick's Grocery Massacre was a staged false flag operation, despite having witnessed his son covered in blood from the event. Dr. Frome explains this represents a new form of internet-fueled delusion that doesn't respond to traditional cult deprogramming, requiring the son to accept he cannot change his father's beliefs if he wants to maintain a relationship.