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…
Our Christmas tree is almost 24 years old, and it has traveled the world with us. I still remember the day I went shopping for it. We lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, at that time, and on a winter’s day under a dusting of snow, I set out to…
As we head into the Christmas season, I want to be mindful that not all of my readers celebrate the holiday. Additionally, I know not everyone is looking forward to the holidays. Still, I want to encourage all of us to embrace gratitude as we prepare for 2022. No doubt,…
I am adamant about not letting the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing issues with my husband’s health dampen our Christmas spirit. This year, I have decided to do a little more to observe the holiday. As a faith-based family, we know Christmas is not all about presents and festivities.
My husband Aubrey’s hereditary ATTR amyloidosis journey is included in a forthcoming book titled “Rare Disease Drug Development: Clinical, Scientific, Patient, and Caregiver Perspectives.” He feels very touched that the editor saw fit to reach out to him. Emotional healing occurs when we can provide insight into a…
2021 has been a character-building year for me. I experienced challenges like never before, and I’m not just referring to the ones associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, I suffered the loss of my mother, my beloved pet dog, and my sister-in-law. Just when I thought it couldn’t…
I spent half the morning figuring out our plan for Christmas. In recent years, it’s been a tradition for the whole family — including pets and my children’s partners — to go away for the holidays. We would book a holiday home near the beach and spend a few days…
This is my 48th column since I began this providential opportunity as a writer at FAP News Today. To be given the platform to share my journey as a caregiver to a husband who is afflicted with hATTR amyloidosis is humbling and cathartic. Life as a caregiver has its…
Life experience plays an integral role in shaping our behavior and thinking. I have come a long way from being an unsettled 18-year-old to a wiser and more focused woman in her 50s. Looking back, I see how the ups and downs we face shape our individuality. We are…
New Zealand was largely able to avoid the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, until now. The contagious nature of the delta variant and the high number of cases have placed many people on edge here in Auckland, where my husband, Aubrey, and I reside. Aubrey is a patient with…