Columns

Cystic fibrosis (CF) often feels like a foreign friend since I got new lungs five years ago. Before that, CF was my constant companion; I always felt its presence. With aggressive lung disease, I was continually congested, did rigorous breathing treatments, and cleared my mucus-filled lungs 24/7. Other…

I could just smell it. I didn’t want to breathe it in; no one did. The air was as thick as the winter coat I was wearing. The smell stabbed at my skull like a lobotomy. My mom and I got off the boat, and she made sure I pulled…

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 short oral presentation. I pitched a project on cystic fibrosis (CF). An often-outspoken classmate piped…

New medicine can be scary, especially for a person with cystic fibrosis (CF), because all medications come with side effects, some predictable and some not. When you couple new meds with an entirely new way to take them, it can be a daunting double-whammy. However, my journey using…

Before cystic fibrosis (CF) entered our lives, my social circle consisted mainly of my elementary and high school friends. I was the last one of our group to have children and the first to have a child with a disability. While I was happy to know my friends were…

When we stop hiding our wounds and instead make our pain a wellspring of compassion for others, we become “wounded healers” — hurt people who help hurt people. That’s what Henri Nouwen described in his book “The Wounded Healer.” My copy’s pages are eroded by countless pen and highlighter…

After I had flown under the radar for three years to avoid it, COVID-19 eventually hit me like a ton of bricks last January. Having cystic fibrosis (CF) and transplanted lungs added to the fear of what this virus might do to me. It started on a Thursday…

Note: This column includes thoughts about suicide. Resources for help are listed at the end. The Los Angeles Dodgers weren’t always based in sunny LA. Formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers, and affectionately known as “Dem Bums,” the team was beloved by all in the New York borough, including my…

I’ve been thinking about the weather and how it affects the body. Despite all the beauty that April brings, the warmer weather that signals to the flowers and trees that it’s time to bud again, spring is my least favorite season because it’s the time of year when my sinuses…

Since my recovery from a life-threatening sepsis attack on my gallbladder and appendix in 2019, I’ve slowly begun to put together my family’s history, going back to Ireland. The attack triggered an urgency within me to get the full picture of who I am and who my family is and…