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My Wishes for the New Year

I often find myself thinking back to the advice my parents gave me over the years. Of course, I considered it “nagging” rather than advice at the time, but the older I get, the more I realize my parents were two of the smartest people I’ve ever known.

When I Have Nothing Left to Give

I’ve spent several nights in the hospital with my son, and I play tag with my wife. It is her turn to trade duties with me. I leave the medical center and head straight to the church, lead worship, eat a meal, and return to the hospital to…

Finding Meaning in Chronic Illness

I was born into this world with hemophilia. As a child, it was a reality I had to face, and I have no one to blame for my misfortune. Did I want to be born? Did my parents intend that I have a different life? No. It would be wrong…

Minimalism, Filipinos, and Disability

I’ve been pondering the minimalism movement a lot lately. This is because I recently found myself with more than a dozen boxes from my childhood home, and along with these came a sense of responsibility to organize the contents inside of them. As my husband and I unpacked the…

Memory is Necessary to Move Forward

The MacDonald home celebrates this Christmas season with a little more excitement than those holidays of the not-so-distant past. My youngest son’s health is the best it’s ever been, and we are in an excellent place. We have nothing to complain about. Life is good and the business…

One-word Resolutions for the New Year

I am already looking forward to 2019. The first half of 2018 was not filled with joy, but fortunately, the last six months have been pretty wonderful. Part of this has been Caeleb’s new treatment with Hemlibra (emicizumab-kxwh). It has truly changed our lives. His quality of…

An Open Letter to My Husband’s Hemophilia

Dear hemophilia, Truth be told, I hate you sometimes. I especially hate you when you suddenly pop out of nowhere and find ways to ruin my husband’s life. I hate you when you encroach on plans made weeks in advance; long-standing plans that were carefully and painstakingly thought out. As…

Merry Christmas, Now Let’s Infuse

Special days come up: holidays, birthdays, and vacations. We take time to relax and enjoy ourselves, but there is always something staring us in the face. Needles do not care what days may be essential or ordinary. They call to our families, reminding us that hemophilia does not…

Merry Christmas from Our HAPLOS Community

My local hemophilia organization just held its annual Christmas party. During these celebrations, we are reminded that we belong to a community that empowers, cares, and provides us with support and service. Christmas is a time for giving, showing gratitude, and spreading love. During our Christmas party, it was heartwarming…