Columns

The last day of pulmonary rehab is upon me. Truth be told, it’s bittersweet. This will be my third time in the rehab program. A few years ago, my pulmonary nurse practitioner suggested it might be a good program for me. She explained…

Eyelids fluttering open to a new day, I mentally searched my body for signs that anything was different. But a sore arm with a Band-Aid was the only evidence of my vaccination 12 hours earlier.  No headache, fever, chills, or any more fatigue than usual, which I was informed…

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung I was browsing the internet last week looking for stock videos to help out a friend who was producing a video package for his work. We’ve been friends for…

I stumbled upon sarcoidosis in 2002, and still wake each morning wondering what’s in store. It doesn’t follow a set path when it invades our bodies, making it just as baffling today as when I was first diagnosed. If I had named this disease, I would have called it “everything…

Is the image of the person looking back at you in the mirror someone who’s fractured, broken, or like a work in progress? I find that to be an interesting question, particularly for my life. I remember when I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis…

Since the novel coronavirus emerged, what’s increasingly struck me are the eerie similarities between COVID-19 and sarcoidosis. The deeper we’ve gotten into this pandemic, the more I wonder if it might provide new clues for treating the sarcoidosis population. Much like our illness, COVID-19 can come and go without some…

Can you hear me? Do you see me? I repeat these two phrases at least 10 times a day. I think it’s common for folks living with chronic health issues to ask people these questions. I don’t know…

I was in my 40s when I entered a neighborhood gym for the first time. I slunk over to the least-crowded row of treadmills, and still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Until then, my huffing and puffing had been done in private. But after my treadmill died, my…

“Grace means that all of your mistakes now serve a purpose, instead of serving shame.” – Mike Rusch For the past few days, I’ve felt like I’m missing something — or maybe that I’m missing out on something. I keep telling myself that I have…

Envy is a terrible thing. But three months into the year, I can no longer shake it.  I thought I’d be an early candidate for protection against COVID-19 because of my sarcoidosis and asthma. But I’ll be among the last eligible in Pennsylvania, which as of this writing…