A book signing reminded me of my hypopara strength

Whenever I write a book, there’s always a kernel of my life tucked between the pages. My latest project is about two characters who lost four years together due to a supernatural mystery. I picked four years for a very specific reason: It was the amount of time I lost between the recall of Natpara — a recombinant parathyroid hormone that was the only approved medication for hypoparathyroidism at the time — and starting the Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide) expanded access program.

When I emerged from the other side of those lost years, after I regained the ability to sit up for more than an hour, write, and hold a book while reading, I couldn’t believe how much life I’d missed. Yes, we all contended with the pandemic lockdown, but when everyone unpaused their lives and left Zoom and virtual hangouts behind, I’d stayed. My social life and author career were on hiatus.

Four years of scraping by, of releasing a book series but turning down signings and speaking gigs, of sending cards instead of showing up in person, texts instead of calls, silence instead of social media. Loved ones were now married, others buried, a few divorced. New babies born and once-babies somehow graduating high school. New jobs and homes and lives that went on while I veered off the path to fight for my own life and lean into my advocacy work.

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The shake-up I needed

I’ve been on Yorvipath for two and a half years now, and there are creases from the lost years that I’ve missed smoothing out. I’m still coming back to myself, and my most recent book event was a shocking and beautiful example of that. I was honored to sign at Ban This Book Fest Detroit, a nonprofit festival dedicated to lifting voices being targeted by book bans (my books are targeted because of LGBTQ+ themes and disabled characters). Three hundred readers joined authors, booksellers, panelists, and vendors for an incredible day.

Heather Novak stands behind her author table at Ban This Book Fest 2025. (Courtesy of Heather Novak)

This was my first big author event since 2019, having had only a small signing after my last book release in 2022. I was convinced that readers wouldn’t remember me, that maybe they didn’t even want to hear from me.

In recent years, I’ve been sharing more about hypopara (another name for hypoparathyroidism) than books, as my focus was on doing what I could for my rare disease community. Still, I packed up my books, decked out my table, and made an “about me” sign that mentioned my hypopara diagnosis. As the doors opened, I held my breath, ready to smile from afar and planning on leaving my deserted table to go catch a few workshops.

Then, I was absolutely blown away.

For six hours, I had a steady stream of fans and new readers, some saying they came specifically to see me, others saying they had missed me; one had a special edition of a book I hadn’t seen since 2016, and a few people asked about my hypopara. I even had one reader tell me they were being tested for my disease that week. Best friends and old writer friends came by to support me, and even more reached out online to celebrate from afar.

It was a shake-up in the best way. Readers wanted to see me, despite my disappearance. They cared about my journey, about where I’ve been all these years, about my new agent and what book I was working on next.

I’ve spent years fighting for the hypopara community, being a voice for those who weren’t able to speak out. Turns out, my book community was always there, waiting for me to come back and holding a space for me. I felt like I had to choose between the two communities for so long, but what I needed was to acknowledge that my hypopara journey doesn’t detract from my worth as an author; it strengthens it.

The signing was magical and I still happy-cry thinking about it.

Authors rarely get to see the impact of their work, but when we do, it can change our lives. What a beautiful lesson to learn. I’m keeping this close to my heart as I rest and recover from the back-to-back International Hypopara Conference and the signing. No matter how much fun I had, my body still needs time to recuperate.

Instead of beating myself up about my recovery period, I’m reminding myself that my communities will be waiting for me when I’m ready. It’s not a race, it’s a celebration. I’m allowed to take up this space and be an author with hypopara. This is another wrinkle of my lost years ironed out.

Note: Hypoparathyroidism News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Hypoparathyroidism News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to hypoparathyroidism.