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I have a love-hate relationship with my port-a-cath

Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) has required various hardware to be placed in my body, including a port-a-cath in my chest. This allows me to do blood draws and receive medication in the easiest way possible. Although my journey with this device has been like a roller coaster, I’m…

I learned the hard way how to recognize signs of hypoxia

I felt like I’d received a roundhouse kick to the head while drunk. My head was pounding and I couldn’t think straight. Words were difficult to form. Sentences seemed impossible. This might sound like the result of a wild night of partying, but for me, these were actually signs of…

I’m still waiting for spring to bring me back to life

We’ve been having such a slow-developing spring here in Pennsylvania. The temperatures have been lower than normal, and it feels like it’s been raining for months. I must continually remind myself not to complain about it. Yet some years, it’s felt like we’ve gone from freezing cold and snow to…