Mutations & Conversations - a Column by Tré LaRosa

motivation

Tré is a 27-year-old living with cystic fibrosis in Pensacola, Florida who works as a research lead for BioNews Insights. He is an extremely passionate advocate for disabled rights and people living with chronic disease, especially cystic fibrosis. His sister, Alyssa, died at 29 due to chronic rejection of her bilateral lung transplant, pushing him further into the fight for a better world for all. “Mutations & Conversations” discusses the science and sociology that binds us all. He also loves his golden retriever, Duncan, very much.

Searching for Motivation as I Struggle With Depression

When I took Advanced Placement psychology in high school, a few subjects stuck out to me as being intuitive. I was weirded out by this because the majority of school lessons were not intuitive. Math, chemistry, and biology are logical and scientific, but I don’t naturally understand cells, or how…

Surveys Play a Critical Role in Improving the Patient Experience

I used to dislike surveys, polls, and questionnaires. I understood why they existed — customer or patient feedback is important — but I never really saw anything change once I took a survey. I hadn’t considered that perhaps my feedback was unrealistic or didn’t represent the entire community. It wasn’t…

How I’ve Learned to Use My Insecurity to My Advantage

I recently saw a meme in which a person is smiling or laughing in the first panel, then looks utterly dismayed in the second. The second panel’s overlay reads: “Tfw [that feeling when] I realize I’m being perceived by everybody else who ever interacts with me.” This meme is one…

The Long Journey of Learning to Love My Own Body

I used to be ashamed about my insecurities. I believed that as a man, I was supposed to be strong. I was supposed to silently hate myself, my appearance, and my body, while projecting an immutable air of confidence. That was the “manly” way. My masculinity, my…

Yes, I Will Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

I can’t remember when I first fell in love with science. I loved learning about it and going on field trips, but I didn’t enjoy science fairs because I missed hanging out with my friends (although I did place second at a science fair with some assistance from my dad).

My Experience With COVID-19

Life would be much easier if every complicated disease or disorder weren’t so complicated. COVID-19, cystic fibrosis, depression — if they all manifested uniformly and could be treated the same across the afflicted population, the world would be much simpler. As always, life just isn’t that simple. About two weeks…