Columns

Change happens, and it can be good, bad, or neutral. How we deal with it is the real challenge. Having a family like mine that deals with multiple rare diseases means constantly confronting many challenges. When one of the rare diseases in our family is angioedema, the challenges associated…

For lack of a better phrase, and at the risk of sounding cliché, a summer job for a teenager is a time-honored tradition. It’s such a well-known trope that shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “The O. C.,” and “Stranger Things” have entire seasons dedicated to following teenagers as they…

When my family first moved to Colorado almost 20 years ago, I was surprised to see snow in early October, and even on Mother’s Day in the spring. It was especially odd considering we don’t live in the mountains, and the summers here are so warm. But this year, we…

The tickle around my uvula gave me pause. I knew the feeling almost immediately. And it couldn’t have been happening at a worse time. There’s a strange phenomenon in my house when it comes to illness. Although we’ve reached a point where the flu isn’t passed around our house…

I have always been rather active. When I was young, one of my favorite pastimes was spending hours exploring the woods near my childhood home. I also loved running through the fields of my grandparents’ farm, climbing trees, and playing in the creek with my cousins. Ah, the carefree days…

The strongest version of me almost didn’t make it — not the version people worry about, but the one they admire. The one who keeps going, keeps showing up, and keeps figuring things out no matter what’s falling apart behind the scenes. That version of me was dangerously close to…

Rare diseases usually don’t play nice with each other. They can land those of us who have them in a catch-22 scenario where it feels like we lose no matter what. I am one of many in this oh-so-lucky club of multiple rare diseases. I’ve been part of the…

Several members of my family live with angioedema. My eldest daughter, Aria, has allergic angioedema; my son Dorian has hereditary angioedema (HAE) type 1; my adopted daughter, Leah, has HAE type 2; and I have HAE type 3, or HAE with normal C1-INH. On top of angioedema, we…

This column will be a little different from the ones I usually write. Normally, I’ll start with a story that celebrates the underdog, the person who had to come from behind to achieve a victory. By the end, I’ll have tied the tale neatly into our hereditary angioedema journey with…

I was recently asked how hereditary angioedema (HAE) affects me mentally and emotionally. That’s a big question! HAE affects everything that contributes to my mental health — my family, my work and social relationships, my physical health and illnesses (both chronic and acute), stress, diet, exercise, rest, and my…