Columns

Something about sunshine boosts my mood. Do you find that to be true, too? For me, warmer months bring to mind fun memories of childhood traditions. When I was growing up, my family had a camp on the water. Family picnics, and beach and boat outings are some of my…

I have read that the heart is the hardest working muscle. If you’ve ever seen an echocardiogram of a heart laboring against pulmonary hypertension (PH), you’ll agree. But anyone who doesn’t give the heart credit for being the strongest muscle has never met a grieving mother. In an email…

I didn’t truly realize how messy of a person I was until I went to college and spent more than four years living in small spaces with others. Growing up, my room would always become quickly disorganized, but this was typical teenage behavior no different than my older siblings’. Every…

Deck the pool chairs. Fire up those outdoor grills and Hallmark movies, because we’re celebrating Christmas in July! You might view this as an odd way to start a column, especially considering the extreme heat many of us just sweltered through across the U.S. But for me, it’s a…

I recently dreamed that I was walking toward a hospital room to visit my son, Cullen. A doctor stopped and told me that Cullen had died. I walked away in a state of shock, but then quickly returned in tears and begged for a chance to see him. When I…

My mind once seemed wired to focus on parts of me I wish I could change. Most of my life, I struggled to accept my reflection in the mirror. I spent a lot of time hoping for the scars to fade and the fluid retention to dissipate. I tore…

Living with a chronic illness or rare disease definitely comes with a price tag. There are added expenses related to medical equipment and devices, doctors’ appointments, tests and procedures, and of course, the cost of prescription drugs, which can really pile up month after month. I remember feeling incredibly frustrated…

Stress was familiar to me long before my son Cullen was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Bruce Springsteen sings about being “Born to Run,” but when you run, you might trip. I was born to worry about things like that and so much more. Not that I…

The need for adaptation in my life began so quietly I often didn’t notice the accommodations I required. I started dancing at a young age, and at the end of each dance season, we had a big recital with different costumes for each performance. This created a problem when considering…

Let’s celebrate! Come on, y’all, join me. Now, are you curious what we’re celebrating? This week, I celebrate two years of writing my column, “Worth the PHight.” I’ve mentioned before that I started this column to offer hope to the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community. This is still true. And…

Pride Month, observed each June, is a time to celebrate LGBTQ history, community, and life through events and parades. Curiously enough, I marched in my first Pride parade years before I had the courage to come out and live authentically. While I think about that experience in San Francisco…

Throughout my son Cullen’s pulmonary hypertension and heart-lung transplant journey, it has been my impression that hospitals try to treat the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. Over the past 13 years, he has been treated at four hospitals in two states, and each facility has offered chaplaincy…