Jaime Christmas is a patient advocate and columnist based in Auckland, New Zealand, with her cheeky doggie, Akira. She was a caregiver to a spouse who was afflicted with hATTR amyloidosis. Now she fights for equitable treatment and support for diagnosed patients and their caregivers. Although she now lives without the daily challenges of being a caregiver since her husband’s passing in 2022, she hopes to be still an encourager and listening ear to those presently walking the journey she knows only too well.
My late husband, Aubrey, was diagnosed with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis in 2013 and passed away on May 22, 2022. Those nine years were spent transitioning from having harmony in our marriage to navigating a relationship wrought with…
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I recently watched a documentary narrated by British naturalist David Attenborough about how climate change and deforestation negatively affect animal life on our planet. One clip featured walruses stranded on top of a cliff in…
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” — Oprah Winfrey On May 22, I lost my…
I lost my husband, Aubrey, on May 22. This period of adapting to him being gone has been somewhat challenging for me. Although I thought I had come to terms with it in the weeks following his death,…
If you are new to my column, my name is Jaime, and I was a caregiver to my husband, Aubrey, until he passed away on May 22. Aubrey had been diagnosed with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. For…
Some time has passed since I lost my husband on May 22. For nine years, Aubrey suffered from hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. Despite the toll of this disease on his body, he stayed positive. My late husband held…
After nine years of being a caregiver to a husband afflicted with hATTR amyloidosis, I can no longer lay claim to having that role. My beloved husband of 27 years, Aubrey, passed away on May 22. Even…
I am sitting across from my husband, Aubrey, who’s on his last leg of life with us on earth. When I look at him, I see a man who has come to terms with the finality of his…
On April 1, Malaysia’s borders reopened to international travelers following COVID-19-related closures, and I finally had the pleasure of visiting my family who lives there. I hadn’t seen them in more than three years, so after spending two…
In my work as a patient advocate for the New Zealand Amyloidosis Patients Association, I occasionally need to assemble content for the awareness projects I’m involved in. Whether it’s a speaking engagement or a mind map diagram…
After almost three years of not seeing my family, I’m finally back in Malaysia to spend some quality time with my father, siblings, and children. More important, I can receive closure after my mother’s passing last May. I’m challenged…
For the first time since my husband, Aubrey, was diagnosed with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis in 2013, his care team brought up the subject of palliative care last week. Was it unexpected? Yes. Were we prepared for this new…
As a caregiver to a spouse with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, I’ve become familiar with our local hospital. The countless appointments and stays that Aubrey, my husband, has endured since diagnosis in 2013 have allowed me the opportunity…
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