February 2014 proved to host the last bleed “MacDonald the Younger” faced thus far. The treatment plan created by our Hemophilia Treatment Center worked like a charm, and in the twinkling of an eye, the storm subsided and our quality of life improved drastically. What we didn’t…

The following is a group activity I like to do in some of the workshops and presentations that I give. Each person has 16 slips of paper and I ask them to write something on each slip. One category is the four most important people in their lives…

My youngest son, wife, and I just returned from an appointment with our hematologist concerning plans for treatment. In the twinkling of an eye, our worlds changed. We will move to a new procedure requiring an injection given every two weeks. How could this be? Wasn’t it last…

Those of us who either have caregivers or serve as caregivers for others with chronic illness know what it is like to feel as if we are the cause of our loved one’s affliction. We may think that we said or did something wrong, and because of these…

Editor’s note: After this column was written, Jared and his wife welcomed a healthy baby girl, Melanie Citrine, on Jan. 18. Congratulations! My wife is 38 weeks pregnant. I’ll soon be a father. That fact is becoming more real to me every day. I have many questions: Will I be…

We are in the middle of January and some of the resolutions we promised to keep just a couple of weeks ago already seem to be fading away. Our intentions were wonderful and our commitment admirable. So what happened to our fortitude? Did something act as a roadblock…

Dear (young) person with disability, I hear you. You’re having a tough time with money. Maybe you’re having difficulty finding a job. You probably have the qualifications — you may have gone to college and had internships here or there — but no company will accept you. You blame it…

Many of us have names that represent legacies and traditions handed down from generations past. My mom named me after my grandfather’s brother who died when he was 11. I often think of him and wonder if I carried on the family name with pride. Would he have been…

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.

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…