Columns

I had an identity crisis when I turned 30. At the time, everything that had previously defined me — my health, my job, my financial independence — had been stripped from me. It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. Most 30-year-olds aren’t writing out…

They say hindsight is 20/20. Now that I’m in my 50s, I can reflect on my younger years and realize that I was trying to do too much. I was spinning all of the plates in the air and trying to fulfill every role that came my way: mother, wife,…

“Direct admission is a possibility.” These words from our daughter’s pulmonologist have been hanging over my head and lingering in my heart for weeks. Today, our daughter, Claire, is scheduled to undergo a bronchoscopy, a fairly routine procedure for people with cystic fibrosis. Based on the outcome, she may…

Since I had a double-lung transplant six years ago, my life has been a sea breeze compared with my life with lungs affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). Since everything seems easier now, I often forget that I still can’t handle everything on my own. I continue to need…

Growing up, I hated my birthday. It brought a wave of attention from everyone I knew and, more importantly, made me think about my mortality. People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are all too aware of death and the likelihood of dying young. Patients are reminded of it when fellow…

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 website for a few months. I didn’t go AWOL. I did tell my editors when I…

I hate to admit this, but retail therapy is a coping mechanism I use when I’m stressed. It can be as simple as treating myself to a new facial product, but the expenses can add up quickly. Before I had my daughter, Claire, I didn’t worry about it much. I…

A long list of medical conditions can be considered invisible because others can’t see their effects. Those of us living with cystic fibrosis (CF) understand the idea well since we commonly hear “You look well!” or “You don’t look sick,” even from people who know we have the…

“I don’t understand how you were laughing when all I wanted to do was cry,” my sister said, referring to the time before my double-lung transplant six years ago. In March 2017, I went into respiratory failure due to complications of cystic fibrosis (CF). I was transported to…

In 2014, when my daughter was entering her freshman year of college, I watched a segment of the TV news program “60 Minutes” that changed my life. In the segment, presenter Anderson Cooper reported on a mindfulness retreat he attended led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, often considered the…