A.R.C.Light Podcast

Sep 11, 2022

S02E01 - The Cost of Saving a Life: A Conversation with Kati Standefer

Kati Standefer graduated from Hersey High School in 2003. When she was 24, she went into cardiac arrest and ended up getting a cardiac defibrillator wired into her chest. That device, though, malfunctioned several years later, sending three shocks to her heart. The device was supposed to save her life, yet there she was writhing on the ground in pain. That incident prompted a global journey of inquiry. She wanted to know what the cost was to create that device, not just on her, but on people who mined the minerals and on the environment. This led her across the United States, and to Madagascar and Rwanda. The result was a moving memoir entitled Lightning Flowers: My Journey to Uncover the Cost of Saving a Life. On this episode of the ARCLight Podcast, Kati discusses that journey, the writing of the book and how Lightning Flowers was her "attempt to figure out how to keep being a living person."

37 min