Columns

The other day I was surprised by a knock on my door, and even more surprised to hear the response when I asked who it was. It sounded like he said Jamaal Bowman — my congressman. It even sounded like his voice, which I recognized from countless interviews,…

The last few weeks have been an excellent reminder of just how important and vital community can be, especially when you have a rare disease. Last weekend, the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) hosted its Global Virtual Patient Summit. FSR does a great job of bringing the sarcoidosis…

What have you done today that would make a difference in your life? What did you do yesterday? Are you just going through the motions of existing, or are you living the adventures of your life? These questions may sound a little suspicious, but they have to be asked. They’re…

Your comfort zone keeps you comfortable. That’s where the lie begins. Earlier this year, I bought a new SUV. Well, not brand new, but newer than what I had before. It’s not like my other SUVs in that it doesn’t have a sunroof, but I can live with the minor…

“I’m broke, but I’m happy I’m poor, but I’m kind I’m short, but I’m healthy, yeah!” — Alanis Morissette Well, maybe not that last one. Inspired by recent columns by my colleagues relating “Stand By Me” to Friedreich’s ataxia and “West Side Story” to cystic…

This week marks my one-year anniversary as a columnist for Sarcoidosis News. I once read that we tend to underestimate how much our lives can change in a decade, but overestimate the potential change in a year. With all due respect, that person hasn’t seen my life! There…

Life interrupted! The other night I fell out of bed. I’d been dreaming I was having drinks with my brother, and while we were talking, someone stepped over the bar and started to walk on me. My immediate reaction was to kick this person, which I did. I kicked so…

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…