Precious, Not Fragile
— Heather Novak

Banner image for "Precious, Not Fragile" a column by Heather Novak

Heather Novak is an award-winning author. She was diagnosed with surgical hypoparathyroidism in 2003, followed by a pile of comorbidities. She hopes her column will provide hope and a better understanding of living with chronic conditions. Heather writes LGBTQ+ romance with disability representation and earned a spot on BEQ Magazine’s 40 LGBTQ+ Leaders Under 40 in 2021. She’s full of bisexual glitter and is pretty sure her left arm is haunted. She lives in southeast Michigan with a collection of mobility aids. You can learn more at HeatherNovak.net.

Featured Post

Exploring possible causes of my chronic pain outside of hypopara

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,…

Heather Novak

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…


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