Why I Don’t Want to Live Forever

I have thought about death and mortality more than the average 20-something. In fact, I love nothing more than debating the philosophy around it. To me, death isn’t a cause for anxiety or fear; it is a fact of life. A fact I have been at peace with for some…

Virtual Friendships and Real Grief

Passion, sadness, anger, frustration, and grief are the emotions hardest to feel, but they inspire my best writing. Today, I write a little teary-eyed from a place of grief — Bionews Services family member Serena Lawrence passed away on Sept. 26. The internet can be a wonderful place.

My Greatest Fear Is that My Parents Will Have to Lay Me to Rest

Death isn’t an abstract concept to me. I’m sick, and regardless of the fact that my sickness is outrageously unpredictable, my eventual descent toward passing will likely be pretty linear. I’ve learned to accept that deteriorating health will be par for the course for someone like me,…

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…

Mindful of My Mortality

When the doctor told me back in 2016 that I would be battling lupus, the first question I asked him was if I was going to die. In the ’80s, I had a cousin die of lupus. They had no clue what she had until they autopsied her…

Not Scared to Die

In my family, death is not a topic of taboo; we speak both incredibly openly and comfortably about the subject. By the time I was only 3 years old, my family had lost three of four grandparents, all to health-related issues. From a young age, my parents have…

Planned Pregnancies by SLE Moms Boost Baby’s Odds of Survival, Study Finds

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had more frequent miscarriages and other pregnancy complications than those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or healthy women, according to a recent study. SLE women also used fewer contraceptives, leading to more unplanned pregnancies that greatly increased the risk of complications for both mothers and babies. The Sri Lankan…