“The courage to soar to great heights is inside all of us.” — Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug In sports, we discover one of life’s greatest lessons: the courage to overcome adversity and rise stronger each time we fall. Sports have the power to transform lives by teaching resilience and…
Brave Butterfly: A Hypoparathyroidism Journey - a Column by Bari Vapnek
“It’s my life, and it’s now or never/ I ain’t gonna live forever/ I just wanna live while I’m alive.” — Bon Jovi, “It’s My Life” I was 8 years old when I rode my first upside-down roller coaster, the Superdooperlooper, at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania. As the ride…
“Friends don’t owe! They do because they wanna do.” — Rocky Balboa in “Rocky III” Friendships, much like hypoparathyroidism, are not one-size-fits-all. I appreciate my small, close-knit circle of friends. When I was younger, my mom would tell me, “All you need is one good friend.” Back then, I…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” — Charles Dickens in “A Tale of Two Cities” Describing my year as both the best and worst of times may seem contradictory, but it truly reflects my experience. Similar to the theme in Charles Dickens’ classic novel,…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with TransCon PTH, now called Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and…
“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” — Charlie Brown Life with hypoparathyroidism is a journey marked by uncertainty, where we can swiftly shift from elated to exhausted. Yet I navigate it with unwavering resilience and determination, my constant companions. It’s hard to make plans, work,…
“And isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?” — “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette With hypoparathyroidism, every good day is a triumph over bad days. But that doesn’t mean the good days come easy. I spent a recent day with a friend in New York watching the San Francisco 49ers…
“Independence is happiness.” — Susan B. Anthony I have learned that if I want something done correctly, I should do it myself. I am independent. I’ve been this way my whole life, and it has helped me manage my hypoparathyroidism. Hypopara casts a shadow over my life, dictating the…
“Scars are souvenirs you never lose/ The past is never far.” — “Name” by the Goo Goo Dolls As I’ve previously written, I take a photo every day as a reminder of a life lived, not one that has passed by. I have boxes of photos from all stages…
“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.” — Dory from “Finding Nemo” Hypoparathyroidism consumes me; it’s a constant battle, a full-time job. My life revolves around the condition, whether it’s supporting fellow patients, sharing my experiences with researchers, going to the…
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