Columns

Most people hate the attention birthdays bring. I get it. It’s only in recent years that the meaning of birthdays has shifted for me. Prior to my double-lung transplant three years ago, every year of life felt like a feat. Now, every birthday is icing on the cake — literally.

I don’t want to write this column. OK, for the sake of my editors, let’s be clear: I love this column and this company and this job. I am so lucky to have it, and I honestly can’t imagine how I’d get through parts of life without a consistent…

Two years ago, I found myself drinking a cup of coffee in a quiet coffee shop in downtown Chicago. I still struggled to call myself a writer or understand my writing goals. (Though, by this time, I had already been writing for CF News Today for a few months.) I…

The holidays always seem to be a complex topic. Adding chronic illness to the mix makes them even more tense. And now the world is living through a pandemic, which adds a layer of ambiguity. Navigating uncertainty brings anxiety, but we have a choice in how we respond. Holiday…

Yes, sickness is giving me a panic disorder. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up: Never knowing exactly what to do or who to call or what the protocol is with every new symptom, in a body that creates new symptoms annually, makes me long…

I don’t know if I believe in miracles. I know that what makes a miracle miraculous is its infrequency and lack of scientific reason, but I often wonder: How come some people deserve them while others suffer relentlessly? For anyone who doesn’t know a lot about cystic fibrosis treatment, a…

Life would be much easier if every complicated disease or disorder weren’t so complicated. COVID-19, cystic fibrosis, depression — if they all manifested uniformly and could be treated the same across the afflicted population, the world would be much simpler. As always, life just isn’t that simple. About two weeks…

I am never going to be well enough to work out. I realized this the other day and said, “I am never going to feel well enough to do this.” And then I wrote it as the first sentence of this column. I am back to working out, for the…

People often declare my life to be stranger than fiction. (It’s true, and it’s both a blessing and a curse.) Usually, that observation is followed by an urging for me to write a memoir. I reply that I’ve tried, but simply don’t know how to end it. I can’t tie…

If you told me 10 years ago that I would be reliant on my parents again, I would have laughed in your face. I was always proud about being independent, and I didn’t need anyone to help me — until I did. When I had my double-lung transplant three…