Run Your Own Race
— Calvin Harris

Recently, I read a social media post about how tough every day can be while living with sarcoidosis. Out of respect for the author’s privacy, I won’t quote them, but the general idea was that they do certain…

Part of the reason I named this column “Run Your Own Race” is that I found (much to my great surprise) that running can easily be a metaphor for life. And when you have compromised lungs from…

Sometimes, you know you’re in a unique time of your life, and you should just appreciate your good fortune without questioning it. For me, I’m in such a time. Last weekend, I gathered at my college alma mater,…

Last month, I participated in my biggest race ever, the Brooklyn Marathon. The race weaved through various neighborhoods in Brooklyn, passing less than a block from my apartment. With over 20,000 runners, it was by far the biggest crowd…

This week, the 126th Boston Marathon was held. It was exciting to see 30,000 runners pushing through the 26.2-mile course on the streets of Boston. I had a few friends running this year, and I was so glad…

When I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2013, I had no idea what was coming. Heck, I couldn’t even pronounce my condition (and truthfully, I still mispronounce it at times). All I knew was that I had red marks…

Last weekend in New York City offered a combination of past, present, and future, at least in terms of the weather. We had sub-freezing temperatures with rain and snow, a late sunset due to daylight saving time, and a…

I’m grateful. On Rare Disease Day, and since, I’m grateful. On this day of consequence and nonsense, of war and peace, of movement and stagnation, of highest courts and lowest valleys, of pandemic and hope, I’m grateful. I’m…

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…

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…

“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…

“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…