Last October, I had an annual checkup with my OB-GYN, where I renewed my birth control prescription, which helps to control excessive bleeding in my uterus. This is vital for me because my hemoglobin levels are consistently low due…
Read more
All my Halloween nights were the same when I was growing up. First, my parents would bring me and my siblings to our family friend’s house, where we consumed sloppy Joes and Jell-O jigglers. Then the kids would…
At the start of the month, I embarked once again on something called the “Inktober” challenge. Created by artist Jake Parker, Inktober invites participants to make one piece of art per day during the 31 days of October.
I grew up in Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” In fact, my childhood home was located on one of the largest lakes in the state. The summers in our lake town centered on water activities, from tubing behind…
The night before my 15th birthday, my mom looked at me and took a moment. Then with love and a bit of bluntness, she said, “Every year is a gift.” It could’ve been a general statement regarding the…
In 2002, three years after my pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis, my family and I made our way to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA) International PH Conference. I have no memories of this gathering, which was the…
One day, when I was 15, I tagged along with my cousin and her partner to run a few errands. In the car, Ben Howard, an artist I’d never heard of, played on the CD player. Two songs later,…
In the world of chronic illness, medications can be many things. At best, they’re a blessing, but more often than not, I’ve found them to be a necessary evil. While living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) for 19…
Since May, I’d been faced with a challenge familiar to many women: finding the perfect dress for a wedding. Two close friends of mine were married last weekend, and I had the honor of attending the wedding and reciting…
The approach of summer always catches me off guard. For about six weeks between May and June, I can’t avoid keeping a packed schedule. Along with several holidays and birthdays, including my own, this period also marks the…
When I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 1999, doctors prepared my parents for the reality I was facing. Just two weeks before my fourth birthday, they were told such words as “progressive” and “terminal.”…
When I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 1999, the subject of organ transplant was introduced almost immediately. Doctors explained to my parents that PH was terminal, and that transplant, usually of the heart and lungs, was…
Get regular updates to your inbox.
