Columns

Day is breaking and my uncertainty unfolds. If I’m lucky, I’ll silence it with a productive morning. If I struggle, the doubts echoing in my mind grow louder. Sarcoidosis batters my self-confidence. It’s an ongoing tug of war between my goals and symptoms. It begins every morning, convincing a body…

In order for me to do better, I have to do better for myself. That’s one of the obstacles we face when living with this “inconvenience” called sarcoidosis. One day, we’re feeling good and like our old selves. The next, we’re…

When my family was caring for me, they got to witness my many endeavors at self-improvement. So, they won’t be surprised to hear I’m tweaking my life again during a September campaign dedicated to that. I wasn’t aware of National Self-Improvement Month when I was trying to escape the helplessness…

I am so tired of the overly used phrases “the new normal” and “we’re all in this together.“ No! These are not the truths we live with. Only other folks in the sarcoidosis…

It may be odd to loathe an inanimate object, but I do. I didn’t always. The first newsroom I entered was filled with cubicles with majestic walls. Appointed a seat, elbow-to-elbow with my editor, I longed for that prime real estate. After landing it, chatty offices became a trend and…

Discipline is a trait that takes determination to mature into an art. By nature, we’re not disciplined creatures. This makes our life’s journey more eventful, especially living with sarcoidosis. When I entered this fight, I didn’t know what I would be up…

With 8 a.m. closing in on a weekday, diners had already filled tables set up in a parking lot on a recent crisp morning. Just a five-minute walk away, chairs remained upside down at an eatery that hasn’t served meals since mid-March. The pandemic has forced both restaurants to a…

Over the past few weeks, I had appointments with both of my pulmonologists involving follow-up consults and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). My new pulmonologist specializes in sarcoidosis and pulmonary hypertension, making…

In May, I read about a poll of 2,000 Americans who reported using excuses an average of six times per day. At the time, I thought it was crazy that each person racked up 2,190 justifications per year not to do things. On a weekly basis, there was…

A chronic health condition like pulmonary sarcoidosis can have a mental stranglehold on a person, causing fear, anxiety, and stress that we must learn to live with. Such a stranglehold can hold you hostage both mentally and physically.