Columns

My tattoos hold more stories than my scars. In a way, my tattoos are my scars — they’re just the ones I chose. After almost every major medical hurdle, I’ve decompressed through ink. It’s a way of choosing the needles that hurt me, instead of having them forced upon me.

Hi, my name is Brad Dell, and I have clinical anxiety disorder. Well, disorders. Three types. My generalized anxiety disorder is well-documented in my columns. It’s plagued me since sixth grade, beginning when I’d lie in bed at night, sweaty and staring at the glowy star stuck to my…

I recently wrote a post on social media about my health struggles. Having disappeared from the online world without explanation, I had come to terms with my feelings and felt ready to share. Part of my motivation for sharing what I had been…

Doctors receive training in particular specialties and, in some cases, subspecialties. But “specialties” and “subspecialties” can be described as a “broad array of diseases” and “broad array of fewer diseases.” I’m not trying to dismiss the expertise of medical professionals or reduce them to their skill sets. I’d never…

I share a lot online. I share medical ups and downs whenever possible. I share the audiogram roller coaster of going Deaf. I share the ebb and flow of motherhood. I share the stormy tides of body politics in a world that doesn’t take kindly to stomas and scars. It’s…

The cystic fibrosis community has access to three cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators right now: Kalydeco (ivacaftor), Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor), and Symdeko (tezacaftor/ivacaftor). These CFTR modulators are each approved for specific mutations and age groups. If you’ve been following the progress in this area, you’ll be…

A common perception about those with disabilities is that when they find a job, they are so appreciative that they are the most dedicated, loyal employees in the building. A recurring theme in conversations that I’ve had about working with chronic illness is that those of us with…

I am going to explain what it’s like being in this body. But before you read this, you need to know it’s not because I have a “woe is me!” attitude or want condolences or pity. I am lucky to have this body. This body is lucky to have me.

I want to start this off with the disclaimer that I have never been a morning person. I am a night owl with a coffee addiction and a second-shift job. However, there is much more to the story. Several months ago, I noticed myself starting to frequently use the phrase…

The life of a person with CF is constantly affected by language. A common debate in the community is how best to label us. Is it better to call someone a CFer or a person/adult/child with CF? To some, CFer means their life is singled down to one identifying characteristic,…