Doré Schubert was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome at age two after experiencing a dislocated lens. By age 16, she underwent her first spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis.
“Still, I lived a pretty normal life and didn’t think too much about it. I did pretty much everything that everybody else did,” she says. “Then I hit 30 years old, and everything started to kind of go downhill for me.”
Doré, now 34, is the only known person in her extended family to have a connective tissue condition. Growing up on a farm in northern British Columbia with her parents and two brothers, she lived an active life surrounded by family and close friends.
One childhood challenge stemming from Marfan syndrome was adapting to her height. “They didn’t have clothing for girls like me, with my really long legs,” says Doré, who is now 6’4”. “My mom literally had to sew extra fabric onto the bottom of my pants to make them longer. I towered over everybody in my family.”
A few years ago, chronic pain began significantly affecting Doré’s life, particularly in her back. Imaging revealed large meningocele sacs caused by dural ectasia, a condition in which the lining surrounding spinal fluid stretches and expands, often in the lower spine. The sacs were pressing on nerves and eroding part of her sacrum, contributing to severe pain.
In November 2025, Doré underwent complex spinal surgery to stabilize her spine and address the damage.
“When I was 16, my spine was fused from T1 to L1,” she explains. “With this surgery, doctors extended that fusion by adding rods from T8 all the way down to my pelvis. So now my entire spine is fused except for my neck. They did that to create more stability, but unfortunately, I came out of surgery with the same pain.”
By then, Doré was no stranger to major medical procedures. In 2024, she underwent a valve-sparing aortic root replacement, and to date, she has had more than 45 eye surgeries related primarily to severe glaucoma.
“These surgeries are no joke…it’s very stressful” she says.
Despite years of pain and repeated surgeries, Doré remained determined to build a meaningful future. She earned her university degree and, in 2023, graduated with honors with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology after taking several years away from school.
It was not always easy. During her graduate studies, she experienced a retinal detachment.
“After surgery, I had to sleep facedown on a massage table,” she says. “My mom came to help me, and I dictated my papers to her because I wasn’t allowed to use my eyes.”
Doré believes she ultimately found her true calling.
“I always knew I wanted to help people in some way. I started in social work but then shifted to psychology because the brain is so fascinating to me,” she says.
Halfway through her master’s program, Doré realized her own experiences could shape her professional mission.
“I decided that I was going to focus my therapy practice on chronic illness because it’s such an unmet area,” she says. “Given my circumstances, I realized I was uniquely positioned to help.”
Today, Doré is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and founder of Serein Therapy, where she supports individuals living with chronic illness, intellectual disabilities, and major life transitions—including those adjusting to new diagnoses or long-term pain.
Many of her clients are drawn to her because of her personal understanding of complex medical challenges.
“Almost all of my clients tell me the reason they are coming to me is because I know what it’s like,” she says. “When you have somebody who truly understands chronic illness and disability, it makes the client feel a lot more supported. I get it.”
Olivia Abel has been a strategic communications and editorial professional for more than 25 years. A passionate storyteller, she’s worked as a reporter at Vanity Fair and People magazines, written freelance business stories for The New York Times and spent a decade as Editor-in-Chief of Hudson Valley magazine. Olivia shares the stories of those affected by genetic aortic and vascular conditions in her current work as director of Integrated Marketing Communications at the Marfan Foundation.