Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

hope, funeral, social, ableism, funeralBrad Dell is a Deaf 27-year-old with cystic fibrosis. He received a double-lung transplant from UC San Francisco in January 2017, then cochlear implants nine months later. He now lives in Hawaii, where he was raised. Usually he's traveling the world, chugging coffee, mentoring college students, or studying theology. Otherwise, he's working as the director of columns at BioNews, the publisher of CF News Today. (OK, he's still drinking coffee while he works.) He writes to undo the taboo surrounding lung transplantation. Catch him on Instagram at @coffee.cats_

I’ve Allowed My Disease to Abuse My Energy

Well, it finally happened: Twenty-two months after my double-lung transplant, I finally got sick for the first time. I gotta say, with a suppressed immune system, illness isn’t so lovely. I saw the docs last Tuesday, and they ran a panel of tests. No…

Cases of Injustices, Humiliations, and Sorrows

I’m a positive guy, I swear it. But I’m exhausted and need a good vent. *** When I pay about $100 per week for prescription medicine, I feel punished for having a genetic defect. I loathe that my body actively tries to murder itself against the…

7 Ways to Cherish Your Quality of Life

Friends. Today, my message is simple. Your quality of life matters. Quality of life is integral to physical health Inevitably, you will face trials that require quality of life sacrifices for survival. “Sacrifice” is a carefully chosen word, in the way one might sacrifice a legion to win…

The 4 Deaths that Mold Me

Winter 2016-17: Sabrina Santos We called each other twins. Sabrina, like me, was a nerdy, faithful, coffee-loving journalist. She also had cystic fibrosis, Mycobacterium abscessus, deafness, and an urgent need for lung transplantation. Unlike me, she was fearless. Sabrina wielded titanic power. Her radiant eyes could shatter…

My Hospital, That Torturous Refuge

“Ahhh, so lucky! Enjoy your vacation.” Many people thought hospitalizations were times to sit around and cruise the internet; get treated like royalty and served wine. (Nah, I only got rubbing alcohol.) The response was rarely, “I hope you feel better,” or, “Let me know if I can…