Desperate Health Decisions
Ora, after five years of mysterious health problems, chooses a treatment she knows might kill her, illustrating the risks taken in desperate medical situations.
3This American Life
There’s Something About Hail Mary
An exploration of desperate last-ditch efforts, from a risky medical treatment and a Texas death row appeal to migrant communication strategies.
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889: There’s Something About Hail Mary
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Low Odds in Texas Death Row Appeals
In Texas, appeals to remove people from death row fail 94% of the time, highlighting the statistical difficulty of last-minute legal interventions.
5Ingenious Migrant Communication
Migrants at the Otay Mesa Detention Center developed an ingenious method to communicate with activists outside the walls, showcasing resourcefulness in confinement.
5The Nature of Hail Marys
The episode focuses on the final moments of desperation, where individuals try any possible action to change their outcomes.
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“What other medical treatments are considered 'Hail Mary' efforts?”
“How do detention centers typically manage communication between migrants and activists?”
“What legal strategies are used in Texas death row appeals?”
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Questions
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Experts
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Ira Glass
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4Sources and disclosure
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Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for a premium subscription.
- Publisher show notes
We spend an hour in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, behind and desperate, with people trying any damn thing they can think of.
- Publisher show notes
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- Publisher show notes
• Prologue: Five years after Ora first started experiencing mysterious and debilitating health problems, she decides to try a treatment that she knows very well might kill her.
- Publisher show notes
Host Ira Glass talks to her about the experience. (9 minutes) • Act One: Two lawyers have just three months to stop their client's execution.
- Publisher show notes
In Texas, where this story takes place, these kinds of appeals to get people off death row fail 94% of the time. (38 minutes) • Act Two: At the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, migrants figured out an ingenious way to communicate with the activists gathered outside of the detention center’s walls. (13 minutes)
- Publisher show notes
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
- Publisher show notes
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