I’ve been procrastinating writing this column for a couple of days now. Partly because my heart doesn’t want to, and partly because I don’t know how to begin to say goodbye. As I pen my final farewell, I’m feeling emotional. But given how many nights I’ve spent teary-eyed, pouring…
As we approach Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28, I reflect on the pros and cons of the word “rare.” Apart from my chronic illness, I love being unique. There’s something wonderful about having an uncommon skill or piece of knowledge. It’s partly the whimsy…
Learning to live with lupus fatigue for nearly five years has been one of my greatest challenges, both physically and mentally. Initially, it was like someone flipped a switch in the middle of the night. I woke up the next day and realized sleep hadn’t rejuvenated me or…
A month ago, I quit my job as a barista in search of something different. I applied for nearly everything with only one qualifier: I didn’t want another job in the hospitality industry. I’m a big believer that you will never have to fight for what is “right” for you.
In the last four years, I have played patient to some medical professionals with no regard for me as someone who needed their care. Some were more interested in telling me what they knew instead of letting me express my worries. Some didn’t even treat me as a human being.
I had never truly understood what it means to be loved until I was diagnosed with lupus. Don’t get me wrong — I had an amazing upbringing. As a child and teenager, I wanted for nothing. I couldn’t have asked for better parents…
This morning, I woke to spring sunshine streaming into my living room. After puttering around the house and watering my veggie garden, I settled in to have breakfast. And it was there, sitting at my kitchen bench, crunching on toast, that I noticed something: I feel happy. But not that…
In May 2016, I landed in the hospital for a week. Doctors wanted to find out how I had managed to gain 26 pounds from fluid retention in just two weeks. For 12 hours, Sunday night doctors and nurses poked, prodded, and questioned me. Then their shift changed, and…
It has been a long journey to get to where I am as a person, and I have experienced many transformations. I spent a significant period of my life as an introvert. I wanted to talk to people and had plenty to say,…
At one point or another, everyone realizes that pleasing the masses is impossible. With that realization comes freedom. The freedom to finally live the way you have always wanted. The freedom to stop caring about what anyone else might think of you. Most people reach the “I don’t…