HemoWife - a Column by Alliah Czarielle

crab mentality, home, golden retriever, business, routine, childhood illness, unfair

Alliah Czarielle, or Cza for short, is a life partner to a person with hemophilia and epilepsy. Her lifs dream is to enjoy a happy and contented life with her family, while pursuing her own passion for arts, crafts, entrepreneurship, and fine jewelry. She is a strong advocate for equal rights and support for people with disability, as well as people with mental illnesses, being a struggler herself. She lives in the Philippines with her husband, Jared, and their daughter, Cittie.

I Find Healing in Music and a New Ukulele

Recently, I’ve taken to the ukulele. I love its diminutive size, how its four strings (versus six on a guitar) are perfect for my tiny hands, and the happy sound it produces. (Our neighborhood ukulele store is aptly named Happy Music.) In the past month, I’ve purchased a couple of…

Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Our Own Special Way

With Valentine’s Day over, it’s amazing to look back at the “Love Month” celebrations my husband, Jared, and I have had since we first started dating. In our six years together, we’ve had our share of Valentine’s Day celebrations. Some stood out more than others. One example is the time…

Sometimes I Need to Take My Mind Off You

The new year is a wonderful time. To many of us, it’s a symbol of fresh hope and new beginnings. I greeted January with many dreams and the hope that they may come true. After an eventful series of moments leading up to New Year’s Eve, my husband, Jared,…

The Joys of an Occasional Reprieve

I’d been sick with acute respiratory troubles for almost a week. Not a minute had gone by without a sniffle or a sneeze. My sinuses had been painful and horribly congested, my throat inflamed, and my stomach upset due to the collection of phlegm in my digestive tract. (Don’t get…

Enjoying the Gifts and Counting Our Blessings

As early as September, colorful Christmas lights adorn all sorts of spaces in the Philippines. Families begin decorating their homes and stores start to roll out out holiday promotions: holiday-themed drinks, planners for collecting stickers — you name it. At the onset of such traditions, one can feel the so-called…

My Baby’s Becoming a Daddy’s Girl

My 10-month-old baby, Cittie, is becoming a daddy’s girl. She looks for her daddy when she wants to play. She clings to him when she wants to be carried. She gets uneasy whenever he leaves the room. Jared, my husband, can’t even stand up to go to the bathroom, lest…

Dreams of a Better Future

My husband, Jared, and I are at a point in our lives where our careers have taken on greater significance. It seems like just yesterday when we were college students eager to graduate and experience life, curious about the mysteries that the future might hold. We were figuring out our…