Episode 566 - Lala Juarez

The Most Dangerous Phrase in Rare Disease: "You Look Fine." Diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension in her early 20s after years of being dismissed, Lala Juarez knows what it's like to be told "you look fine" while fighting for breath. In this deeply honest conversation, she shares her journey from misdiagnosis and IV therapy to the shock of being told it was finally "time" for a double lung transplant. Now four years post-transplant, Lala reflects on rediscovering everyday joys, navigating loss and trauma, and why support groups became a lifeline that made her feel seen, validated, and never alone. Her story is one of preparation, advocacy, resilience, and learning that healing doesn't mean going back to who you were, but becoming someone more present, empathetic, and aware that rare doesn't mean invisible. Learn more about pulmonary hypertension trials at .

You can listen to Episode 566 - Lala Juarez online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 566 - Lala Juarez is an episode from I'm Aware That I'm Rare: the phaware® podcast by phaware global association.

This episode is 08:52 long.

This episode was published on Mar 31, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from I'm Aware That I'm Rare: the phaware® podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.