Columns

Every year around this time, between Father’s Day and my June 24 birthday, I feel a little disconnected and withdrawn.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…

May has not been my favorite month for many years. I lost my mother suddenly over Mother’s Day weekend in 2003, and later lost one of my favorite aunts in May 2006 and my maternal grandmother in May 2007. On May 19, 2018, I suffered a second spontaneous…

Earlier today, I scheduled appointments for my husband and me to see our primary doctor and pulmonologist. I also rescheduled appointments with my cardiologist, neurologist, endocrinologist, and ophthalmologist, all of which I’d had to cancel recently because I was too sick to go to the doctor. There really is such…

Sometimes, you know you’re in a unique time of your life, and you should just appreciate your good fortune without questioning it. For me, I’m in such a time. Last weekend, I gathered at my college alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, to celebrate my 30-year reunion. It was…

I recently recorded my first episode as co-host of a podcast about arthritis — defining it, differentiating the various types, and discussing how it affects us. Our group of co-hosts included people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren’s syndrome, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, and sarcoidosis. I think we raised more…