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The Chronically Ill Couple

My boyfriend, Jordan, is my best friend and my rock. We’ve built our relationship’s foundation on a deep-seated love for food and the understanding that, in so very many ways, our realities with young adulthood are both uncommon and generally misunderstood. You see, Jordan doesn’t just sympathize with…

With Lupus, a Power Nap Helps You to Maximize Your Day

What others call “overdoing it” I call “maximizing the hours of the day.” One example is this past weekend, for which my Saturday was scheduled to go like this: 7:30 a.m. – Walk for Lupus in Manhattan 9:30 a.m. – Perform at a conference at Fordham University…

The 10-year Plan

Barely a week after arriving in Thailand, I was hospitalized. Doctors told me that my platelet count was so low that they were afraid my brain would spontaneously start bleeding, among other things. I am so foolishly optimistic that I figured it would right itself and I would…

Walking the Line Between Overreacting and Underreacting

Living with a chronic illness is difficult, all the more so because most of my symptoms are invisible and largely undetectable by everyone else. My family has always lived by a “tough love” philosophy regarding health: Unless it’s something genuinely debilitating, you put on your “big-girl pants” and…

Do You Have Someone to Talk To?

Five years ago, when I realized my mother would pass because of lung cancer spreading throughout her body, one of the first things I did was look for a therapist. My mother was the first person truly close to me to pass away, and I knew it would…

Speaking My Mind: The Magic of Cussing

Ever hear people say a lady would never cuss? The reply is usually something like, “Whoever accused me of being a lady?” I read about a study (it was on the internet, and we all know everything on the internet is true, right?) that said people who…

Overworking Because I’m Not Like Everyone Else

My life is busy. People have suggested to me on more than a few occasions that maybe it’s even a little too busy, especially for someone with underlying health issues. I’d be outright lying if I didn’t admit that being chronically ill isn’t a significant driving factor in…