Some days, my chronic illness wins
The other morning, I was startled awake by the sound of my insulin pump screaming for me to change a part of my infusion set. That happens regularly with my Omnipod system, which I…
Advocacy and Abnormality
— Kristin Entler
Kristin Entler was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 6 months old, and first came out as LGBT+ several years after her diabetes diagnosis at 12 years old. She currently serves as poetry editor for NELLE, as access coordinator for Open Mouth Literary Center, and lives with her service-dog, Azzie, whose name is short for the Greek god of medicine. Entler can be found on most social media platforms @findmycure. She hopes her column “Advocacy and Abnormality” is a space for inclusion and solidarity for anyone living in a body that is often seen or treated as different.
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I graduated from my MFA program! Now what?
This past spring, before graduating from my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in creative writing, I had one last meeting with my adviser. We connected via Zoom as I sat on my back…
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In hurricane’s wake, remembering there’s no set timeline for recovery
There’s a video buried deep in my phone’s memory from seven years ago. It shows me driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the summer, the leaves full and making a canopy…
Some days, I wish I were a bird
A pod of pelicans flies over my head, then out over the ocean waves, where they skim the surface of the water. One in the middle of the mass pumps its wings, and the…
We don’t need to ‘overcome’ a disability to be successful
The divers are synchronizing, the skateboarders are grinding, the gymnasts are flying through the air, and like so many others across the world, I’m sitting firmly in front of my TV, taking in all…
A lesson in how to avoid COVID-19 during spring break
“We could go to the beach,” my mom says as the two of us sit on her screened-in porch in Alabama. It’s spring break, and because I’m picky about who can stick me with…
Patient advocacy is crucial during hospital admissions
“When can we get out of here?” my mom asks the group of doctors on their daily rounds. I’m in a hospital bed, tape tugging at my skin as a nurse unhooks me from…
When praising CF medications, Orkambi deserves a mention
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Orkambi, Trikafta, and Symdeko. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. In December…
Giving myself space to breathe so I could return to writing
If you’ve been keeping an eye out for a new column of mine, even noticing the gap between my last column and this one, you might’ve seen that I’ve been absent from this…
How my dog’s health reminds me of living with cystic fibrosis
“You don’t sound so good!” my dad says to the family Shih Tzu, Jasper. And my dad’s right: The little dude (as we affectionately call him) doesn’t sound great. “He’s been coughing…
Calling me ‘inspiring’ isn’t the compliment you think it is
“You’re such an inspiration!” the customer across from me said. I was standing behind the mosaic counter of the art gallery where I volunteered during my teenage years. Hearing this person call me inspiring…
Why talking about our identities, including our diseases, matters
In fourth grade science, we were learning about the research process, starting with the brainstorming stage. My class was assigned to pick a topic from our textbook and report on it, complete with a…
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