Columns

My new mobility aid gives me a taste of freedom

After a long stretch of cold and gray, the sun popped out this week, bringing with it warmer temperatures. I was thrilled for a reprieve from the body-aching winter, ready to get outside. Thankfully, my motorized rollator/transport chair from Rollz had just arrived, and it was the perfect chance to…

Writing about hypopara has taught me what it means to be vulnerable

I’ve been publishing books and blogging about my disease for over a decade, yet nothing has taught me more about being vulnerable than writing this column. I’m of the age to remember LiveJournal and have seen my share of nasty Reddit comment sections. Being public about anything personal — especially…

I’ve designed a routine to keep me going on hard days

With a chronic illness like hypoparathyroidism, it’s easy to lose myself on bad days. When intense pain and anxiety steal my sleep, it’ll launch a chain reaction. If I don’t sleep well, I’ll become more anxious, which causes me to hyperventilate. That, in turn, lowers my blood calcium…

From butterfly to battle cry: How Rare Disease Day has evolved

Happy Rare Disease Day! I’m curled up under my blankets, willing my body to recuperate after traveling for a family emergency, and reflecting on how much heavier this day feels to me this year. Since its creation in 2008, Rare Disease Day, on the last day of February, has…

What’s in a name? How I clarify what ‘hypopara’ is — and isn’t

When I was in seventh grade, I held up a poster board with big, bold letters and proclaimed that my favorite cassette tape was “Jagged Little Pill” by “Atlantis Morrisonite.” I learned two important lessons that day. First, never trust the built-in spell-check. Second, the meaning of a word can…

Hypoparathyroidism feels like a heavy weight, but love helps

It’s Valentine’s Day, and as a romance writer, I expected to write a very different column for this week. As I type this, Mr. Heather is helping me prepare for a trip to tell a family member I love them for the last time. This is love in so many…

Before my hypoparathyroidism diagnosis, I felt it in my bones

My name is Heather Novak, and I’ve been a surgical hypoparathyroidism (hypopara for short) warrior since 2003 as well as an award-winning LGBTQ+ romance writer. The tale of my journey starts with a skeleton — my actual skeleton, not the fake ones in my living room, pictured below and…