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Seeing actor Will Smith post that he was in the worst shape of his life made me smile. Because grinning in short shorts with his paunch on display, he shamelessly owned something I’ve often felt.   Getting and staying fit is tough. Sarcoidosis and other chronic illnesses don’t…

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” – Jim Rohn Last weekend was really good for me. I had a chance to relax a little and celebrate my aunt’s 90th birthday. Although she wasn’t the youngest, she’s the last of my great-grandparents’ 11 children.

I miss the days when a sneeze was nothing to worry about. Especially after I encountered a stranger who was not wearing a mask and spraying the air. I veered to get out of his path, and he moved — intent, it seemed, to stay in mine. I walked faster,…

With views of trees from every window, pollution never crossed my mind when I signed my current lease. Which is how I ended up in an area with unhealthy air. If you live in the U.S., there’s a good chance you’re in one, too. The American Lung Association released its…

“If you’re not nervous, you’re not paying attention.” – Miles Davis Over the past few months, I’ve been documenting my visits to a new hospital, where I’m receiving a second opinion regarding my pulmonary sarcoidosis. Any treatments or therapies this team can offer would be welcome,…

I’ve often felt like I’m just along for the ride when it comes to sarcoidosis. I’d wake up wondering what it would let me do. But a change I made in late February has given me a new outlook. It happened by accident. Maybe you read my glorious account…

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…