Columns

Making Dreams Come True in Uncertain Times

Last week, I introduced this column to share my experiences while working with cystic fibrosis (CF): the highs, the lows, the mid-meeting IVs — those kinds of things. In this column, I want to focus on the future; specifically, the dreams that I have…

What Storm Drain Adventures Taught Me About CF Treatments

I have a story for you. In my teens, I often ditched CF treatments to explore storm drains beneath my Hawaii suburban neighborhood. When entering the concrete tunnels (maybe 15 feet in height and width), they’re so dark it feels like you’re stepping into nothing, a vortex. Many…

The Diverse Spectrum of Health Across the CF Community

If you’ve ever met more than one person with cystic fibrosis, it’s likely they had very different experiences than you. First, their approach likely will be different; chronic disease affects everyone differently mentally, so some are vocal and “embrace” it, while others are quieter and choose to consider it a…

My Search for Happier, Healthier Work

Hello there, and welcome to my column! This is a place to talk shop. Work. Jobs. Careers. Whichever term you prefer. In the not-too-distant past, I was a wide-eyed, coffee-swilling exec with a penchant for checked trousers. I worked in a trendy digital agency in London. (Trendy enough to have…

Empowering Children by Educating Them About Their CF

One of my earliest memories from elementary school was leaving class a little early before lunch to go to the nurse’s office to take my enzymes, always accompanied by a school peer. I wasn’t allowed to bring my enzymes with me to school because entrusting a young kid to take…

How Should We Approach Milestones While Grieving?

When Serena Lawrence, the late Bionews senior columns editor, responded to my email about potentially writing for Cystic Fibrosis News Today and promptly offered me a columnist position, I was awestruck. This was the first concrete (read: monetary) endorsement of my writing. My hope with this column was to…

Your CF Partner Can Help Make You Healthier

It’s true that having a partner in life can be a gift. Sharing the celebrations and sorrows makes life sweeter, especially when you’re living with CF. However, many people with CF struggle with the guilt of asking someone to tackle CF life alongside them. A relationship that includes CF almost…