Sunrise Sunset — Jaime Christmas

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Having a chronic illness is never easy, both for the sufferers and their caregivers. My name is Jaime Christmas, and my husband, Aubrey, started feeling unwell in late 2012. It all started with…

As I write this, my husband is in the hospital due to complications of hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. Aubrey, 58, was diagnosed in 2013, and this nine-year journey has been transformative. We both have…

Every so often, my husband, Aubrey, and I go through this exercise where we evaluate our circumstances in life and decide if we should shake things up a bit. Since the pandemic‘s start,…

The day arrived when COVID-19 stepped into our home via our youngest daughter. She found out that a university classmate who’d sat next to her had been infected with omicron. Fortunately, she is in…

In 2018, Gov. Bill Haslam made Tennessee the first U.S. state to declare March as Amyloidosis Awareness Month. Since then, those diagnosed with the disease worldwide are acknowledged, recognized, and appreciated this…

Every week I write my column using my personal experience as a caregiver to a spouse diagnosed with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. Writing demonstrates my competence to reflect on my words and actions.

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…