Columns

Before I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, I’d never heard of this disease. No one I knew had heard of it, either, except, as my mom insists, in the differential diagnosis on the TV procedural “House, M.D.” Even then, it was never the answer. No one actually had sarcoidosis.

I recently read that social media basically captures our best fake day. I found that comment extremely funny, then quite sad. If I were to clean up that comment, I’d say something like, “Social media sometimes captures our best fake day, if we let it.” Because for me, and most…

My birthday was three days ago, which was three days after the first day of summer. Growing up, the last day of school often fell on my birthday. My final report card determined if my day would be happy or crappy. As I got older, my birthday became a time…

When the 2022 NFL schedule was released last month, I noticed an Aug. 27 preseason game between the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens. While I live in New York (and have adopted a few teams to cheer for), those are the teams from the areas where I grew up.

Every year around this time, between Father’s Day and my June 24 birthday, I feel a little disconnected and withdrawn. I was raised by a single mom who served as my mother and father, so maybe I’m missing her more than usual. We used to celebrate my grandfather and my…

People sometimes say their cars are an extension of their personality: sporty, sexy, rugged, classy, adventurous — any of the descriptors used in commercials. I take that idea a bit further. A true extension of my personality, my car is a little ridiculous and a lot of fun, and she…

For the past few days, I’ve been trying to figure out when I started to feel incomplete. I don’t mean that I feel useless, but at what point did I start feeling inadequate to accomplish anything? It may sound a bit sketchy, but there is a relationship between sarcoidosis…

Recently, I read a social media post about how tough every day can be while living with sarcoidosis. Out of respect for the author’s privacy, I won’t quote them, but the general idea was that they do certain things to appear “normal.” Oftentimes, that includes telling friends and family…

I’ve joked before that “middle-aged date night” entails my husband and me scheduling our annual physicals together. First the doctor’s office, then the lab, then maybe a stop for lunch before we head home for a nap. Things change for everyone as they get older, but it feels like I’ve…

Part of the reason I named this column “Run Your Own Race” is that I found (much to my great surprise) that running can easily be a metaphor for life. And when you have compromised lungs from sarcoidosis, running is also a fight for your life. In a…