Unlike members of the band Green Day, I could happily live through an entire year of Septembers. Januarys though? Wake me up when that ends. I always find myself exhausted and burnt out this time of year.
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Growing up as an only child, I’ve spent my whole life hearing what one Washington Post writer calls “a slew of profoundly unflattering and occasionally contradictory stereotypes.” I’ve been told many times how lucky I am that…
In a society that shuns openly speaking about death and dying, it’s hard to find words to grapple with the terror of the unknown and the threat of imminent grief. It can be even harder to find a…
On Mother’s Day in 2019, I walked into the ICU on the ninth floor of University of California, San Francisco’s Parnassus campus for the last time. It had been a month since my mom, Holly, was discharged from the…
When doctors discuss the costs and benefits of getting a lung transplant, they often talk about the lifelong use of immunosuppressants. These medications can have a wide range of side effects. For example, most people experience at least…
In March 2019, my mom, Holly, got a second chance at life. Her bilateral lung transplant was a gift of the highest order. It saved and prolonged her life when nothing else would. It gave her body back…
As soon as my mom, Holly, was out of the hospital following her bilateral lung transplant, our family began efforts to protect her immunocompromised body. Before she even got the call about available donor lungs, the University of…
In the three weeks between my boyfriend Jonny’s proposal and our spontaneous elopement, we daydreamed about a big wedding. We decided to get married before he left for a year of training and school with the Army. Despite our…
If I asked you to identify yourself, what would you say? “My name is …” “I am a …” “I work as a …” “I was born in …” There are an infinite number of ways to define and…
Progressive lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis cause ripple effects throughout the body. In PF, lung scarring prevents the organs from exchanging gases correctly, resulting in oxygen deficits known as hypoxemia and hypoxia. Chronic hypoxemia, or low…
When someone receives a life-changing diagnosis, it can feel like their world is caving in. A diagnosis changes a person’s landscape, alters their expectations, and obstructs their former worldview. Some people understand what this is like, while…
I’ve been thinking a lot about growth lately. And about how even as we grow up and find out who we are, we never stop changing. It can be hard to face change or to reinvent…
In the year before my mom, Holly, underwent a double-lung transplant due to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), “caregiver” felt like a cursed word to us. When my mom was diagnosed, the nurse care coordinator…
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