I recently picked up a fascinating book, “The Courage to Be Disliked,” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The book dives into the philosophy of Alfred Adler, a pioneering figure in individual psychology. Adler’s ideas stand in contrast to the older, trauma-focused theories of…
The 2024 Paris Olympics have been a mesmerizing spectacle of human achievement and have captivated my attention for more hours than I care to admit. Sacrificing sleep to witness the gymnastics finals live was a decision I’ll never regret. The countdown to the end of the Olympics is already painful.
A few weeks ago, my oldest son, Julian, called me from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and informed me that he had throbbing pain in one of his teeth. He immediately went to a nearby dentist and got news he didn’t want to hear: The tooth…
One of my favorite movies is “Galaxy Quest,” a comedy that parodies and pays homage to science fiction films and TV. In it, the cast members of a cult series much like “Star Trek” are drawn into an interstellar conflict by real aliens who think the series is…
Navigating life with hemophilia in the Philippines presents unique and daunting challenges. The financial burden of treatment is one of the most significant hurdles hemophiliacs face. A 1,000-unit vial of factor IX costs up to 22,000 Philippine pesos (about $377), yet the minimum monthly wage is…
I met Jennifer Hastie last year at the Hemophilia Federation of America’s Mild Matters Summit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along with two of her three daughters, Jennifer has von Willebrand disease (VWD) type 2B, a rare variant. We share more than just a name: Jennifer is also 58…
As a pastor, my Sunday mornings prove very busy. I lead morning worship at 9 a.m., teach a Sunday school class at 10:15, and finish my morning with another service at 11. Most Sunday afternoons I can be found collapsed in my comfortable recliner and dozing. I’ll be exhausted from…
As a woman of faith, I look for God in various places. I experience God in a beautiful sunset, a phone call from a dear friend, or even in the middle of a struggle. Walking a labyrinth is one of my favorite places to connect with God. A labyrinth…
My husband, Jared, and I have been working on some big home renovations lately. Under the supervision of my dad, who is a civil engineer, Jared learned how to do various jobs. He rerouted some water pipes, plugged up some holes, and painted. He also watched as an electrician installed…
Priscilla Oren, a member of the hemophilia community, recently shared her family’s history with me. Her son was a victim of the “hemophilia holocaust” in the 1980s. During that time, many people with hemophilia contracted HIV/AIDS and hepatitis from the factor products used to treat their bleeding…
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