Understanding Nonsense - a Column by Willian Ryan

It was the middle of the night when I found myself in an Uber with my dog Ruby. I was traveling through an area where, over 10 years ago, I would’ve been hanging out with friends without a care in the world. Now, I was bringing this small dog with…

The current United States is, in many ways, not the United States where I grew up. In my view, our sense of decorum has changed. Given that, I’m concerned about communities of marginalized people who, in my lifetime, have had to fight for fair and equal rights. I’m thinking of…

I can still envision it: The top half of the wall was painted a shade of beige, while the bottom half was covered in blue wallpaper with white stripes. That’s how I remember the room where, at some point during my childhood medical appointments, I’d step into a clear box…

As a proud son of New Jersey who’s married to a woman who’s half Italian, I’ve found that fresh mozzarella is a key to happiness in life. I’ve never had a bad day when I’m eating said cheese. I could give you recommendations for the best mozzarella in northern New…

It has been a year. From an underwhelming season of “Vanderpump Rules” to a historic rap battle, the world has navigated a roller coaster of emotions and events. The highs of me being a huge Kendrick Lamar fan were matched by the lows of simply opening a news website or…

Sometimes I don’t know where cystic fibrosis (CF) begins and I end. I’ve lived with the ups and downs CF has brought since I was diagnosed just three months after I was born. I recently celebrated my 32nd birthday. I used to hate my birthday. I don’t…

Last weekend, I was at my local pharmacy buying birthday cards when I remembered that I needed to pick up the insulin refill my endocrinologist had ordered the day before. After giving the cashier my name and date of birth, I paid $3 for my monthly insulin pack, which I…

As an adult with cystic fibrosis (CF), I’m part of the majority within the CF community. Whereas this disease was once seen as a childhood illness, scientific advancements have allowed us to grow up, get older, and adjust to a life we didn’t foresee 10 or 15 years…

You’re probably aware of the proverb “It takes a village,” which highlights that having a community is necessary for accomplishing tasks or goals or advancing a cause. For people like me who have cystic fibrosis (CF), making progress with disease funding, research, and care has certainly required a village.

At 31, I still love basketball, and I’ve been a New York Knicks fan for 25 years. For the first 21 years of my fandom, the franchise was a model of instability and getting in its own way. I try to approach my health in the exact opposite manner, which…