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Sometimes when I awake in the morning, I’m afraid of what the day may bring. Then, when I retire for the evening, I’ll take my tablet with me to bed to read or listen to jazz. But just when I’m ready to call it a night, a feeling of…

I’ve been learning the hard way that recovery from COVID-19 is in some ways reminiscent of dealing with sarcoidosis. After being diagnosed with COVID-19 in early January, quickly obtaining monoclonal antibodies to aid in my recovery, and then completing a 20-day isolation period due to my immunocompromised state,…

“Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s a cha-cha.” — Robert Brault This is exactly what sarcoidosis is like. It’s like we’re living in the song “Cha-Cha Slide.” Having sarcoidosis is a never-ending dance of symptoms, doctors,…

Yesterday, my doctor cleared me to return to the office, effectively ending my COVID-19 isolation. After testing positive more than two weeks ago, and feeling quite sluggish for several days beforehand, yesterday’s at-home test came back negative. What a relief. Thankfully, as I previously mentioned, I was able…

It’s easy to forget what’s most important when living with a chronic health condition. I reflect on this often, especially when I’m working out at the gym or trying to do “normal” activities. Achieving a sense of normalcy with sarcoidosis is difficult, especially during a pandemic. A shifting sense…

My last doctor’s appointment of 2021 was on Dec. 30 and involved a six-minute walk test and a follow-up with my pulmonologist. The walk test didn’t seem to go well, as I required more supplemental oxygen than I usually do while working out at the gym. I explained this to…

We’re all familiar with the evolutionary fight-or-flight response. When faced with stress or danger, we go through physiological changes that enable us to either battle a predator (fight) or escape the situation (flight). However, there is another option, although we probably wouldn’t choose it willingly: to freeze. That’s…

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane,” Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1966. I have COVID-19. As of this writing, I am one of 326 million people who have contracted this disease worldwide. As a pulmonary sarcoidosis fighter who…

Happy New Year! By now, we’ve all hopefully recovered from the holidays and are starting to get into the groove of 2022, hoping and planning for a better year. The recovery may be a little easier this year, as celebrations have looked different since COVID-19 took over the world. We’ve…

“Calvin, put that doughnut down!” someone said to me about nine years ago, poking my stomach like I was the Pillsbury Doughboy. It was a funny joke that made me laugh, but it was also true. Over time, I had gained quite a bit of weight and didn’t…