Last week, my older brother celebrated his 60th birthday. Wow, 60! My brother and I are two years apart and have a very close relationship. My mother was a single parent and it was always the three of us, so we had no choice in liking each other. He had…
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I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted! This has been a year for the books. We have all been through a lot, and now the year is coming to an end. I’m welcoming the new year with open arms. To use a golf analogy, we’re…
Hope. “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. You get busy living, or get busy dying.” Recently, I’ve found myself watching and rewatching one of my favorite movies, “The Shawshank Redemption,” starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. The movie chronicles their friendship at a fictional…
Patients with sarcoidosis have a hyperactive immune system that leads to widespread inflammation. The hallmark of sarcoidosis is the appearance of clumps of white blood cells, called granulomas, that can interfere with the function of the organs and tissues in which they develop, particularly the lungs, but also…
It’s difficult not to feel at least a little blue in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. I bet even the most positive people are feeling the effects of this life upheaval. For those of us with rare diseases and compromised immune systems, it can be especially frightening. Since…
My daughter celebrated her 20th birthday last week. She kept saying she wanted to take a trip. Initially, the destination was the Dominican Republic. Then she mentioned Miami and a few other places. As it turns out, she booked a trip to Los Angeles … using my “50 and…
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is searching for volunteers to join its advocacy program, designed to support the sarcoidosis community in a number of ways, from raising awareness to coaching other advocates to providing one-on-one support to patients and caregivers. The program consists of three advocate roles:…
It’s easy to forget what’s most important when living with a chronic health condition. I reflect on this often, especially when I’m working out at the gym or trying to do “normal” activities. Achieving a sense of normalcy with sarcoidosis is difficult, especially during a pandemic. A shifting sense…
“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” — Maya Angelou Last year, my primary pulmonologist and I decided to get a second opinion about my pulmonary sarcoidosis, as well…