Danita LaShelle Jones,  —

Danita currently calls Madison, Alabama, home. She and her husband raise four exceptional children, one of which lives with hereditary angioedema — Ladybug. As a caregiver, Danita hopes that her column will show other caregivers and patients that they’re not alone. Championing the idea to “inform the world,” she seeks to reveal HAE in such a way that even if it’s rare for an individual to have it, it isn’t rare for everyone to know about it.

Articles by Danita LaShelle Jones

We Forgot to Tell Our Daughter About Her Diagnosis

In retrospect, I took a lot for granted. My 12-year-old daughter, whom we affectionally refer to as Ladybug, has probably seen more doctors than the average child her age. Although her visits started with the discovery of a rare allergy to spinach, finding out she has hereditary angioedema, or HAE,…

The Tale of Two Truths

Of all the places to have a meltdown, mine happened in the parking lot of the public library. Last summer, my daughter, whom we affectionately call Ladybug, was hospitalized several times overnight due to hereditary angioedema (HAE). When she was at home, I had to administer multiple IV sticks…

Step-ball-Change Into Butterfly Needles

I am a theater person. I was introduced to it in kindergarten, majored in it in college, and have taught it at every educational level. As a result, words that would never pop into someone’s head when describing me are “doctor” or “medicine.” Those words are reserved for my amazing…