Columns

I’ve never met a parent who enjoys the school drop-off. It’s frustrating when someone doesn’t follow protocol and stops without moving their vehicle to the front of the drop-off zone, thereby forcing everyone behind them to wait. And in my experience, the line forms at least half an hour before…

Shared decision-making in healthcare was a topic at the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Bleeding Disorders Conference I attended virtually last week. Shared decision-making means you have a voice and your overall well-being should be considered as part of any treatment plan. We think of medicine as a science. But as…

As I entered my son’s bedroom this morning to turn on his light and wake him up, I heard him say a phrase that sent shivers down my spine. Caeleb, my boy, said, “Dad, my ankle hurts.” My first instinct wanted to allow him extra time to get himself together.

A recent news story caught my attention. The report highlighted local athletes who unfortunately sustained injuries while serving in the military. These amazing women and men play basketball, tennis, and several other sports while in wheelchairs. Watching these phenomenal veterans play with determination and the physical prowess of professional athletes…

Home improvement is a popular hobby here in the Philippines. Over the past few years, online communities dedicated to home decorating and renovation have sprouted up all over social media. Lockdown boredom inspired people to find new hobbies and pastimes, and as work shifted from office to home,…

Good thing this column isn’t a podcast because I’m not speaking today. Last night, I chomped down on my tongue for the second time in two months. Not a big deal, you might say. True. Unless you have a bleeding disorder like hemophilia B, von Willebrand disease, or,…

One recent evening, my wife and I watched our favorite television shows. After the last one ended, the local news came on to give us the latest updates on the day’s top stories. One segment touched me deeply, and I couldn’t help but think back on the many health difficulties…

There’s often a children’s time at church when the kids race up to the front and sit with the pastor, where a message is geared to the children. When my husband leads this moment during worship, he asks questions and even takes the kids on “field trips” around the sanctuary.

As my husband, Jared, and I grow deeper in our marriage, the reality that we will spend our entire lives with chronic illness becomes increasingly clear. Jared has severe hemophilia B and a seizure disorder, which I learned about when we started dating. Meanwhile, I was diagnosed with…

Iron deficiency has always been a part of my life as a woman with the bleeding disorders hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease. Iron is essential for your body to function, I have learned. One cause of iron deficiency is bleeding. When I am anemic, or my…