I recently opened a fortune cookie to reveal a message saying, “Your education will empower you to make informed decisions in your professional life.” That may have been true in my career, but it feels even more so now in my life as a professional patient. I don’t remember the…

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” — Matthew 5:7 My issues with pulmonary sarcoidosis keep me focused on living each day as productively as possible. Some days are tolerable; other days are harder. But each day is a blessing that shouldn’t be wasted…

Father’s Day was always a good time for my family when I was growing up. My brother and I were raised by a single mother, but my maternal grandfather and uncle were role models. We come from a large family, so we always had my…

It has been an interesting week. I was having a conversation with a friend about getting back into the workforce. Although I have pulmonary sarcoidosis, I believe my 30-plus years as a video professional should still be relevant in the marketplace, especially during a…

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” — James A. Baldwin Recently, I was asked an unusual and interesting question: “Do you know anyone personally that has sarcoidosis?” After a few seconds of thinking about an answer, I had…

The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR), a nonprofit dedicated to finding new treatments and improving care for people with sarcoidosis, has nominated 14 new members to its scientific advisory board (SAB), with an aim of further enhancing research and patient care. The FSR SAB includes world-renowned researchers…

Today is my infusion day, and I’m excited and hopeful. I’ve been taking Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb) for about four months. Before that, I was on Remicade (infliximab), until my insurance company suddenly stopped approving it, compelling me to switch. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the two to…

People with severe and difficult-to-treat sarcoidosis can safely switch from Remicade (infliximab) or its biosimilar Inflectra, to another biosimilar called Flixabi and maintain similar clinical benefits, a study reports. Six months after switching, none of these patients had stopped…

Attending medical appointments is routine when battling active sarcoidosis. But we stand to benefit most if we see our doctors consistently, not just when we’re ill, but also when we’re well. Lifestyle choices such as exercising regularly, eating healthfully, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding smoking or overindulging in alcohol can…

I lost my mother two weeks after I had surgery to remove nasal polyps. She had been my point of contact with the doctors during the surgery. I was still dealing with her loss when I was diagnosed with pulmonary…