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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Every year, my family dresses up in themed costumes to go trunk-or-treating and door-to-door candy-grabbing. But in 2020, I had no idea if something as simple as trick-or-treating was ever going to happen again for my family. That year, most of the world…

“Mind over matter” is an expression I’ve always heard, but I never took it to heart until after my near-death experience. It’s amazing how my state of mind and the perception others have of me can affect how I feel. In September 2020, I developed atypical hemolytic uremic…

Anniversaries are typically a call for celebration, whether you’re honoring a wedding, the day you started at a job, or a special event or milestone. But for me, this time of year brings the anniversary of when I almost died. In September 2020, I was admitted to the intensive…

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear someone needs a blood transfusion is that they’ve had a car accident or surgery that’s caused them to lose a large amount of blood. I needed a blood transfusion after my first cesarean section delivery after complications from a…

Sept. 16 marked the three-year anniversary of my first near-death experience. In September 2020, I was hospitalized and then spent almost two months in the intensive care unit with multiple organs failing. After weeks of testing and interviews, doctors determined that I had atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, a…

Being sick with a rare and complicated disease is terrifying, but dealing with medical issues during a pandemic is even worse. I went through the hardest time of my life during the worst of COVID-19, as I spent it mostly alone. In September 2020, I spent nearly two…

To say my life completely changed when I became a mother is an understatement. Suddenly, this small, fragile being was my world and greatest responsibility. I had a second child just one year later, and now two little humans were my focus. Little did I know, a life-shattering chronic illness…

A medical emergency can be a terrifying experience for anyone. If it’s followed with a complicated and rare medical diagnosis, it just intensifies the situation. A few years ago, that’s what happened to me. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a long road. I’m terrified…

Before my medical journey began, I had heard the term survivor’s guilt before, in reference to mass shootings, natural disasters, or other tragic events. Living through something traumatic changes your outlook on life. But I never anticipated that major medical events could come with guilt as well. Three years…

Healthcare in the United States is always a hot-button topic. The U.S. healthcare system has long been criticized as being inadequate, expensive, not inclusive, restrictive, and so many other things. I received a crash course on the subject when I almost died three years ago. Surprisingly, though, once I qualified…