Columns

As a columnist, I try to read and expose myself to topics that might inform my writing. Recently, I came across a phrase that piqued my interest because it closely reflected what my husband and I, as well as many disease sufferers I’ve met in my work as a patient…

I recently accompanied my husband, Aubrey, to an appointment with a specialist at the hospital and noticed a sign taped to the wall in the waiting room. It was a word cloud graphic highlighting the practices that healthcare practitioners strive for to create a good experience for patients. As I…

When I married my husband, Aubrey, I knew a hereditary and life-threatening disease affected some members of his family, but I had little other information about it. We naively carried on with our lives, secretly hoping the disease hadn’t reached his generation. When we learned that several of Aubrey’s first…

Every week I sit at my desk and ponder what I should write about. As I stare out the window that faces my street, I reflect on everything my husband, Aubrey, and I have encountered on our amyloidosis journey, and the tools that have helped us survive. I’m not…

Lunar New Year celebrations, which began on Feb. 1, last for 15 days. As I write this on the eve of that date, I am busy cooking a selection of traditional dishes for the family to enjoy. Because we live in New Zealand, a Western country far away from family…

I recently counted the number of plants in my house and came up with 45. I’ll admit I’ve gone slightly overboard, but in my defense, my passion began two years ago. When the pandemic hit here in New Zealand, many of us were forced to stay home. We took up…

My alarm goes off at 5:30 every morning, and I mute it as quickly as possible to avoid waking my husband, Aubrey (if he’s even in bed, that is, as he suffers from insomnia). I go for a run before sunrise and avoid the crowds, as very few people…

Has the COVID-19 pandemic been keeping all of us up at night? According to an online forum by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported on by The Harvard Gazette, the pandemic has resulted in a big change to people’s sleeping habits, resulting in insomnia for many.

We have had warm summer weather here in Auckland, New Zealand, the City of Sails. It’s been clear and sunny, and many are hitting the beaches just 20 minutes from us. People are making the most of the season, even as they cautiously adhere…

A few days before the new year, I cleaned my backyard deck and accidentally toppled a cactus plant onto my foot. While I walked away relatively unscathed, a week later, I noticed that tiny bumps had appeared where the cactus had hit my skin. I’d been carrying around thorns embedded…