Everyone gets tired sometimes. Some of us, especially when we push ourselves, become fatigued. And especially with rare diseases, many of us truly understand exhaustion. In today’s vernacular filled with sarcasm, we frequently hear people, even children, say, “I’m exhausted!” While the words are interchangeable according to Merriam-Webster, terms used…

For most people, the news came as a shock. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the most decorated gymnast in the world, Simone Biles, made a startling announcement. Aside from experiencing mental fatigue, she was suffering from what gymnasts refer to as “the twisties”: a dangerous condition in which an athlete…

“No!” my mom’s voice bellowed. I immediately laughed. I couldn’t see her, but I heard the undertone of laughter in my mother’s voice. She was answering — or wasn’t — my very loud “Hey, Ma!” from another room in the house. Because we were a few weeks away from my…

It was billed as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman, would face off with Muhammad Ali. During the press conferences leading up to the historic boxing match, held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1974, Ali, known for…

The cast was revving up for the midsong dance break, with 16 counts left. Because the performers occupied the stage and the floor, I took weeks to choreograph the musical number to account for my high school students’ safety. Nevertheless, I smiled as the audience, a captivated crowd of dinner…

Many people with hereditary angioedema (HAE) have non-swelling symptoms, such as rash or fatigue, even when they aren’t having an acute swelling attack, a new study highlights. “HAE symptoms are not limited to only those experienced during HAE swelling attacks. Many different symptoms (including abdominal symptoms, pain, headache, fatigue, depression, and…

It was almost over. The fine arts magnet school I attended was almost done with a Broadway-worthy, 13-show run of the school’s Christmas musical. The musical itself was a massive undertaking. “Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shop” (an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”) involved over 300 students, historically…

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…