How 1 mom recovered from facial paralysis, and US faces Omicron variant

“There was a sense that there was something wrong with me for not getting better, or for being an outlier in the pattern of the disease,” says Sarah Ruhl. The playwright wrote about her decade-long recovery from Bell’s palsy in “Smile: The Story of a Face.”

“There was a sense that there was something wrong with me for not getting better, or for being an outlier in the pattern of the disease,” says Sarah Ruhl. The playwright wrote about her decade-long recovery from Bell’s palsy in “Smile: The Story of a Face.” Photo by Gregory Costanzo.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl has spent 10 years recovering from Bell’s palsy, a mysterious and sudden facial paralysis, while juggling motherhood and a writing career. She shares her journey in a new memoir.

The Omicron variant of COVID has spread to about a dozen countries after being discovered in South Africa this month, and scientists don’t know how contagious it is or whether today’s vaccines can protect against it.

High-profile criminal cases start today for Ghislaine Maxwell, the long-time associate of alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and Jussie Smollett, the “Empire” actor who allegedly staged an assault.

The Marías' Grammy-nominated debut album "Cinema" uses English and Spanish lyrics, and mixes jazz, reggaeton and pop.

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Angie Perrin, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Brian Hardzinski, Bennett Purser, Nihar Patel