Columns

Growing up, I hated my birthday. It brought a wave of attention from everyone I knew and, more importantly, made me think about my mortality. People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are all too aware of death and the likelihood of dying young. Patients are reminded of it when fellow…

If you’ve been keeping an eye out for a new column of mine, even noticing the gap between my last column and this one, you might’ve seen that I’ve been absent from this website for a few months. I didn’t go AWOL. I did tell my editors when I…

I hate to admit this, but retail therapy is a coping mechanism I use when I’m stressed. It can be as simple as treating myself to a new facial product, but the expenses can add up quickly. Before I had my daughter, Claire, I didn’t worry about it much. I…

A long list of medical conditions can be considered invisible because others can’t see their effects. Those of us living with cystic fibrosis (CF) understand the idea well since we commonly hear “You look well!” or “You don’t look sick,” even from people who know we have the…

“I don’t understand how you were laughing when all I wanted to do was cry,” my sister said, referring to the time before my double-lung transplant six years ago. In March 2017, I went into respiratory failure due to complications of cystic fibrosis (CF). I was transported to…

In 2014, when my daughter was entering her freshman year of college, I watched a segment of the TV news program “60 Minutes” that changed my life. In the segment, presenter Anderson Cooper reported on a mindfulness retreat he attended led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, often considered the…

Labor Day weekend means many things. It celebrates the achievements of the American worker while also marking the end of summer vacation and the start of a new school year. And to me, it’s the anniversary of my double-lung transplant. Three years ago on Labor Day weekend, I received…

Talking Heads is one of my all-time favorite bands. One of their most popular songs, “Once in a Lifetime,” has a refrain in its bridge that goes, “Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.” Monotony may not be something most people would choose…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Trikafta (ivacaftor, tezacaftor, and elexacaftor). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Recently, we experienced a miracle. Or at least we thought it would become our miracle. In April,…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve attempted to focus my thoughts on an area that many of us within the disabled community know all too well: the waiting room. That room is a microcosm for healthcare in the United States: It’s a gateway to healing, but, in 2023, it’s functioning…