Brave Butterfly: A Hypoparathyroidism Journey - a Column by Bari Vapnek

“Passover is a time of reflection and joy, when we emerge from our cocoon of doubt to fly freely on the wings of faith.” — Unknown Last week, I celebrated Passover, a Jewish holiday rich with traditions passed down through generations. We gather with family, surrounded by love, as we…

“May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.” — Jimi Hendrix I celebrated my birthday last week with minimal fanfare yet much gratitude to have turned 52. I missed celebrations this year because my hypoparathyroidism, or hypopara, doesn’t respect plans and shows up when I…

I am Bari Gordon Vapnek, and I’m thrilled to share my brave journey with hypoparathyroidism here in this new column. Living in Florida, I’m a 51-year-old mother of two: a 25-year-old daughter, Drew, who’s a chiropractor in Atlanta, and a 23-year-old son, Harrison, who’s a sports director for an…