The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review to an application for Esbriet (pirfenidone) as a treatment for unclassifiable interstitial lung disease (UILD). The supplemental new drug application was submitted by Genentech, Esbriet’s developer and a member of the Roche Group, based on…

Many call it “heart attack snow.” It’s heavy. It’s backbreaking. Last week, we went head-to-head. In “Terminator” terms, the snow was the advanced T-3000 cyborg. I was “Pops,” the old T-800 out to prove I wasn’t obsolete. I’m used to sarcoidosis putting me through the wringer emotionally. But fluffy…

“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…

Slowing down has always been hard for me. As a kid, I’d squirm out of my mom’s hugs telling her, “I gotta go play.”   While racing along, details often escape me. Which is why I overlooked the initial signs of my sarcoidosis. The pandemic has changed my…

The more visits I have with a physician, the harder it is to cut ties. Which is why, between breaths behind a face mask, I was relaying my complaint again. It was a loop I had been stuck in since summer. Driving to the appointment that December morning, I hoped…

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:7 I have lived by this Bible verse for a long time. I really embraced it when I was in high school. For the most part, I was a…

I never liked group projects in school. Whenever one was announced, I’d groan and silently hope for the best. But the scenario always played out the same: slackers dumping the work on everyone else. I wanted to believe the pandemic would change behaviors. With the stakes so high, maybe everyone…

I usually set goals for the year when January arrives. Not this time. I’ve decided to take life as it comes. Instead of saddling myself with resolutions, I’m embarking on something new. January derives from the two-faced Roman god Janus, who viewed both the future and the past. Drawing…

If your holiday shopping is done, indulge in some goodies and rejoice. Hopefully, I’ll be joining you soon. After that, a year-end health checklist awaits. Many with sarcoidosis require ongoing treatment. When multiple physicians are involved, remembering everything that was prescribed is difficult. One last review before 2021 arrives could…