Columns

“How is this possible? We did everything right!” I couldn’t comprehend what my daughter Claire’s pulmonologist was telling me at her quarterly cystic fibrosis (CF) clinic visit. He explained that her most recent chest X-rays showed signs of disease progression. She was only 2 years old. Up until that…

It’s that time of year again — time for the regular reminders that “’tis better to give than to receive.” In a great many ways, I agree with this. There aren’t many material things I need, and nothing beats treasure hunting for items that will put a smile on a…

When I did standup comedy back in the day, I had a bit I worked on for a while, but could never quite get right. The routine assumed that if I, a person with cystic fibrosis, ever decided to run for political office, I’d be forced to make myself…

More often than not, I act healthy when I’m actually sick. Many people with chronic illness will pretend like everything is fine, even when it’s not, due to societal pressure to present an appearance of perfect health. I struggle to be honest about how I’m feeling because the answer…

Second in a series. Read part one. In my previous column, I described my complicated relationship with antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient whose pre-transplant lungs were greatly impacted by the lack of available antibiotics, I’m one of many advocates fighting for a new…

Last week, I went to my first indoor, in-person event since January 2020. Honestly, I’d spent a majority of the time since the COVID-19 pandemic began thinking that my days of attending indoor events were behind me. The fact of the matter is that the more people go unmasked…

Those of us who have cystic fibrosis (CF) each has a story about the first time we felt different from the other kids. That moment tends to have a huge impact on the rest of our lives and how we interpret every interaction with strangers and loved ones alike.

My chest tightens and I feel a lump in my throat as I try to race past the hospital where my daughter was born. Soon after Claire’s birth, she was transferred by ambulance from this very hospital to our regional children’s hospital, where we spent the next 68 days…

“I want to get a Popsicle from the ice cream truck!” M’s nutmeg eyes lit up when I asked her what she wanted to do. She was my best friend at the time, and my dad had brought us to the arts and crafts fair, where my mom had a…

I never thought I’d say this, but it’s my reality: I’m a diabetic. It’s hard to admit this is a part of my life now. Like most aspects of my health, my diabetes is atypical. It didn’t stem from a bad diet or excessive sugar intake, as most people tend…