Columns

Note: This column was updated Jan. 16, 2025, to correct that Soliris is an antibody therapy. The hand on the clock ticked to the next minute. As I looked at the timepiece, my hearing seemed to become hyperfocused. Despite being surrounded by beeping machines, multiple conversations, a fire alarm, and…

Note: This column was updated Jan. 16, 2025, to correct that Soliris is an antibody therapy. “You’ll need someone present during the entire surgery, which can last three to four hours, just in case end-of-life decisions need to be made on your behalf.” I looked up from the information packet…

Note: This column was updated March 17, 2025, to correct that the writer takes an antibody therapy.  Grief is like an ocean. It’s cold and shocking when you first get in the water. Then the waves are constantly breaking and hitting you in the shallows, each one signifying sadness and…

As the garage door opens, cold air pours in, creeping into my joints and bending my limbs. I step onto the driveway and am hit with a breeze that freezes me even more. Winter is here, and it will be like this for the next few months. I’ve always loved…

I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep. My insides felt as if an angry lava monster had its hot hands gripping and squeezing all within my torso. I was in so much pain that I was shivering. But my nurse assured me that this reaction was probably normal, given the spinal…

Note: This column was updated March 17, 2025, to correct that the writing is taking an antibody therapy. It all started with me collapsing onto the hard, cool concrete outside of an emergency room (ER), as I was too weak to step up 4 inches onto the sidewalk. I know…

My eyes scanned the makeshift ramp that volunteers had made from a section of collapsed roof. I was hesitant to climb it to get into the trailer, which had a floor more than 4 feet above the ground. “At least the shingles will give my shoes a good grip,” I…

My left eye throbbed to the beat of my heart. Each pulse seemed more intense than the last. I’d had this headache off and on for over two months, but my then-new job had me waking up at 4:30 a.m. — definitely earlier than my normal — so I chalked…

My parents went missing in western North Carolina on Sept. 27, the day after Hurricane Helene made landfall, dumping months worth of rain in just a few days. The flooding and destruction were widespread and catastrophic. At my parents’ home, the water level reached about 8 feet. And on Tuesday,…

Note: This column was updated Jan. 16, 2025, to correct that Soliris is an antibody therapy. As I’m writing this column on Oct. 1, I’m relatively safe from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s battering here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is in a fairly central part of the state.