Columns

When I left my doctor’s office with a prescription for Restasis (cyclosporine) this month, I was hopeful I would be able to afford it under my insurance plan this year. But the nearly $500 upfront cost to fill it has put the medicine out of reach again. I’m hardly alone…

Aah … spring has finally sprung! The weather is finally trying to cooperate by giving us a few comfortable, mild days, and folks are starting to come out of their shells to enjoy it. Yesterday was the first day in over a year that I actually…

As a Marvel fan, this week’s long-awaited premiere of “Avengers: Endgame” has me thinking about the sarcoidosis community’s hidden superpowers. They aren’t flashy. We can’t fly. We can’t shoot webs from our wrists and swing through neighborhoods. And we can’t transform our bodies into a hulking green beast — though…

A piercing scream woke me from a sound sleep that morning. It echoed from every corner of the house. My brain struggled to identify the source of the squealing before finally realizing it was coming from me. Intense pain was all over my body. Like a bad toothache, it came…

I was thrilled to find out the television network NBC will be airing a sarcoidosis PSA this month to raise awareness about the disease, which so many fail to recognize at the onset of symptoms. I did. Night sweats — which had me waking as drenched as if I…

Since I received a diagnosis of sarcoidosis in my lungs, I have made frequent visits to my pulmonologist to monitor my condition to see if it is progressing and to assess my overall health. On…

I was an average woman in my early 30s, married with two young stepsons, working a full-time job in healthcare sales and marketing. My husband and I had recently purchased our first home. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends and led a healthy lifestyle. Then one day, I…

The thing that attracted me to a career as a journalist — the unpredictability — is precisely what I despise most about living with a chronic illness. Over my nearly 17 years battling sarcoidosis, I’ve had good and bad days, and others that have fallen somewhere in between. I…

Like you, I’m not the only person that has daily issues living with sarcoidosis. As I tell some friends, every day is a new adventure. That adventure may include riding an emotional roller coaster, or feeling so upbeat and motivated that I’ll venture out to the gym for a…

I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis not long after my mother passed away in 2003, and it was totally by accident. I was having a conversation with a pulmonologist about participating in a sleep study. During the meeting, he talked about breathing issues and other conditions related to sleep apnea,…