Columns

We Need to Reframe Freedom Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

I didn’t want to write about this yet. Of course, I also thought COVID-19 would be over by now. From the very beginning of the pandemic, I had hoped, like so many others in the chronic illness community, that things would go differently. I always knew the pandemic wouldn’t end…

Dancing the ‘Tango: Chlorine’

If I were a superhero, my Achilles’ heel would be water. Before I illustrate, I must explain how anti-rejection medications work. A healthy immune system is trained to attack foreign bodies such as viruses because they’re often harmful. When I received my double-lung transplant in June 2019 due…

What It Means to Be ‘Just the Sister’

In many ways, I feel unqualified to write for a publication about cystic fibrosis. I was lucky enough to be born only as a CF carrier, while my younger brother, Brad, drew the short straw in the Punnett square game. Besides, my day-to-day life is no longer affected…

Writing Through It: Why I’m Here

It’s been a long time coming for me to write directly about my life with cystic fibrosis in a body that gives me no choice but to balance illness with society’s definition of a normal life. I am here, in part, to be honest, and to find connection within that…

The Sun’ll Come Out — In 2 Weeks?

Most cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are admitted to the hospital for “tuneups,” which are hospital stays meant for IV antibiotics and additional treatments. CF patients are known for having frequent respiratory infections, and tuneups are done either proactively or reactively, based on a patient’s needs. Some patients have more…