It has been seven years since I had major surgery after a long illness, surgery that put me on a path to healing. Usually on this anniversary I re-share certain pictures on social media, remembering the massive amounts of snow, the companionship of my family who walked with me through terrible weather to the hospital,Continue reading >>
Eight years ago this week I was diagnosed with a chronic illness after decades of perfect health. For about a year I only had periodic instances of debilitating pain, but with time Crohn’s disease took over my life. I was constantly nauseous and in pain, I couldn’t eat and therefore had no energy. For allContinue reading >>
When my illness was at its worst, a few months before surgery put my Crohn’s into remission, close to half of my hair fell out. This is common when your body goes through trauma (women often deal with this after childbirth), and I knew it at the time. I also had enough hair to coverContinue reading >>
When I got sick, it was public. I was late and out sick often, I couldn’t be as social as I had been before, I lost a lot of weight and later a lot of hair. I know some people criticized me for how often wrote about my illness, but I didn’t know any otherContinue reading >>
On a frigid Friday night about three years ago, I surrendered. I spent the evening pacing the subterranean studio apartment where I lived alone, clutching my hair and praying Hail Mary. The pain I had dealt with since my Crohn’s diagnosis a few years prior had taken over my body and mind. The searing sensationContinue reading >>
