Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021

Stillness Silences the Sound of Striving

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers of the film “Sound of Metal.” I yearn for the days I drew close, very close, to death. Each thought, emotion, and sight weighed ... Read more

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021

How to Let Go of the Burden of Being a Burden

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I hate the burden of feeling like a burden. I feel it all the time. I felt it last week when I went on a “bubble vacation” with two of ... Read more

April 30, 2021April 30, 2021

I’m Learning How to Better Manage My Stress

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

Sometimes stress turns me into someone that I’m not. I’m never proud of knee-jerk reactions and am always looking to improve my coping skills. It’s a constant balancing act I ... Read more

April 27, 2021April 27, 2021

How Not to Be a Total Tool to Your Sick Friends, Who May Be Tools, Too

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

“Meeting Corey at 2 to walk in the park,” my mom texted me at 8:14 a.m. “Want to come? I know you don’t feel well,” she said, rounding it off, ... Read more

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021

I Swapped Health Routines With Another CF Patient for a Day

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I am a creature of habit. So much so that it’s easy to forget that other chronic illness patients deal with their conditions in completely different ways. (Wait, we don’t ... Read more

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021

Amid Mental Health Struggles, It’s Challenging to Work and Be Productive

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I can’t separate my physical malady from my mental diseases. Cystic fibrosis, depression, and anxiety are all linked, and they’re all separate. I think of my blend of comorbidities as ... Read more

April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

After Transplant, It’s OK to Struggle and Feel Grateful

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I talk about my life with a double-lung transplant regularly. Sharing the double-edged sword of transplant during National Donate Life Month may help others see how this life can be ... Read more

April 13, 2021April 13, 2021

Being a Parent Will Kill You (and Other Truths We Never Talk About)

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I am writing this from my bedroom — trapped. Like a character in a movie. Or Jim Gaffigan when he talks about being outnumbered. This is my SOS letter to ... Read more

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021

I’m Talking About My Latest Surgery, So Read This Column

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

I just had surgery again, and now more people will follow me. I don’t want to write about the surgery (again) because it’s the same one I had a few ... Read more

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021

After 5 Years and a Double-lung Transplant, I’m Back at Work

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

Our vulnerabilities should be celebrated, but they seldom are in the workplace. Hiding our disabilities may feel like the only solution at times. After losing my previous job, I never ... Read more

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021

Unpopular Opinion: I Know What I Need, but the Healthcare System Doesn’t

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

This is what I need. I’m going to tell you instead of my doctors, because that’s the life of a chronic patient. Even though I will tell my team, and ... Read more

March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

Every March, My Body Remembers the Trauma of Almost Dying

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

March is a heavy month. Like clockwork, physical and emotional symptoms seem to erupt out of nowhere. Four years ago this month I almost died. On an unconscious level, our ... Read more

March 24, 2021March 25, 2021

My Life (and Death) Is More Than Statistics and Dead Dreams

Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

It’s not my birthday or my lung transplant anniversary or anything. But today, I’m thinking about being old-ish. I’m thinking about how Mom realized my life expectancy in college biology, ... Read more

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021

Is Gender Bias in Healthcare Shortening My Life?

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

“I am sick of being a woman,” I say far too often. “Especially a sick one.” Maybe you’ve read this before. I’ve probably written it. But it begs repeating. It’s ... Read more

March 16, 2021March 16, 2021

Chadwick Boseman Is Still Dead, and We Need to Talk About It

COVID-19 Columns, Cystic Fibrosis News Today Columns

Chadwick Boseman is dead, and I’m going to write about it. He has been dead for seven months now, so this isn’t breaking news. Even so, I remember exactly when ... Read more