You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.

I'm Siddhartha Cesset, an assistant commissioner of Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,

identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life.

So one day I'll be helping host develop their ideas, the next

fact checking, a feature and the next looking at how a podcast connects with its

audience and maybe that's you. So if you like

this podcast check out some others on BBC Sounds.

Hello today I'd like you to put on your metaphorical medical hats and see if you recognize what condition these symptoms

might relate to. Unusually tall height, elongated fingers, flat feet, weak joints, eyesight issues, heart problems.

Well done if you identified them as indicators of Marfan Syndrome.

This is a condition that renders the body's connective tissues incredibly fragile

and that can weaken the heart leading to potentially fatal aneurysms.

What's more, anyone with the condition has a 50-50 chance of passing it on to their children.

Dr. Anne Child is a clinical geneticist who's dedicated her professional life to finding answers

and solutions for people affected by Marfans,urred into action in the 1980s by a patient she was unable to help.

Anne's work over the decades since has helped transform what was once a bleak diagnosis

into a condition people can manage and

crucially live with. It's a remarkable turnaround within three decades life expectancy

for individuals with Marfans has gone from 32 years old to over 70.

And Anne has been there throughout, setting up the team that discovered the gene responsible,

founding the Marfan, to drive further research and establishing support

...