Columns

It’s easy to get lost in the fun of summer, especially when on vacation. This was extra true for me when it came time for my annual trip with my lifelong best friends. Having missed last year due to my grandma’s memorial, I’d been counting the days to when we…

Before my flare-up in June, I was invited to join my favorite local bookstore, Sidetrack Bookshop, to do an author event for the city’s Pride weekend. The store is in Royal Oak, Michigan, which celebrates Pride at the end of July, dovetailing with Disability Pride Month. I…

“No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” — Virgil Having hypoparathyroidism makes my life different from most people’s. It’s not easy to put into words all the feelings that come with this rare disorder, which affects so many parts of my life. Lately, I haven’t been…

My brain feels like static as I try to sort through words and pull out the ones to help explain how I’ve been feeling over the last two months. It’s like I’ve been underwater, breaking through the surface for a day or two, then returning below. The most frustrating part…

“When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you … never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe It’s been 10 years since everything in my life changed. Many people with hypoparathyroidism say their…

“Slow down, you crazy child/ And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while/ It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two/ When will you realize Vienna waits for you?” — Billy Joel, “Vienna” Living with hypoparathyroidism is unpredictable, like being on…

Having hypoparathyroidism means dealing with more than just low parathyroid hormone and calcium levels. Many patients have muscle cramps, tingling in their extremities, fatigue, muscle weakness, anxiety, and depression. These extra challenges make life difficult. After nearly 30 years of living with hypoparathyroidism, I developed stage 3 chronic…

Yesterday marked the 23rd anniversary of my hypoparathyroidism diagnosis, and the first time I’ve finally accepted that my condition is not my fault. Logically, 41-year-old Heather knows that 18-year-old Heather isn’t responsible for this disease. It was a combination of tumors on my parathyroid glands, a birth defect that…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Natpara (recombinant parathyroid hormone) and Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. “Red and white, blue suede shoes/ I’m Uncle Sam, how do you do?/ Give me five,…

 “What you have caught on film is captured forever. … It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind While standing outdoors surrounded by nature, I watched the leaves move in the breeze and felt drawn to photograph golden petals in the sunlight. In that moment,…