My world teetered as a calcium crash struck in 2016, leaving me breathless and confused. It was a scary time for my family, especially for my son Harrison, who was starting high school. It was also a pivotal moment for me, altering my path and propelling me into a desperate…
Columns
I’m often asked by fellow hypoparathyroidism patients how they can get an at-home calcium tester, and I’ve always had to explain that there wasn’t an option — until now. Finally, one is in development! Saturday is Rare Disease Day, and I wrote last year’s Rare Disease Day column…
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” — a popular saying often attributed to John Wayne Red lanterns shimmer above bustling Chinatown streets, their light flickering against a sea of red envelopes and golden paper dragons. The Chinese Lunar New Year began Feb. 17, symbolizing the…
It’s 4:30 a.m. and I’m staring at the wall, willing my brain and body to go back to sleep. I can’t tell what awakened me — a sound outside, a bad dream, the insistent pain in my hip and shoulder — but it doesn’t matter. With a sigh, I reach…
This week is the one-year anniversary of my first column with Hypoparathyroidism News! It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful to have been given the opportunity to share my rare disease journey. Looking back over the past 43 columns, I’m emotional at these snapshots of my life.
“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…
Note: This column describes the experiences of a columnist and/or an interviewee with several therapies, including Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide), Calci-Chew (chewable calcium carbonate), One-Alpha (alfacalcidol), and Forteo (teriparatide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. When I started my journey…
“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…
Anyone who has spoken to me in the last two months knows how excited I am about the cultural phenomenon happening with the popular romance franchise “Heated Rivalry” — a story about two LGBTQ+ men who are rival hockey players that fall in love. Not only is this…
As January creeps along, I’m back to work, balancing publishing and column deadlines, and myriad doctor appointments. Taking time off and adjusting my holiday schedule to give myself more breathing room turned out to be a great gift. I managed to crawl out of a vicious seven-week pain cycle,…
Recent Posts
- The consequences of a simple oversight with hypoparathyroidism treatment
- Holding an event when chronic illness is unpredictable requires being prepared
- Lab-made hormone may help some children with hypoparathyroidism
- Finding our safe spaces in life with hypoparathyroidism
- Getting to the bottom of my debilitating new symptoms