My mom was incredibly angry with me, and rightfully so, the day I lost my retainer. We fed four kids on one income, yet somehow afforded braces and then a retainer, which I was supposed to wear all the time except when eating. I remember playing with the retainer in…
It rained the day before and after, but on the day we buried Dad, the overcast weather parted for a picturesque blue sky, complete with rolling white clouds. For mid-April, it could’ve been a cold, miserable day, matching our mood. Instead, the sun warmed us, so we didn’t need…
I have a theory: I’m convinced you can scream (almost) anything at a baseball game. The more obscure the cheer, the greater it is. “You call that peanut butter?!” “Turn ’em upside down!” “Let’s go, captain! Take ’em out to sea!” (This one is way more fun when said in…
When I walk through the doors of Satay Sate, a local Indonesian restaurant, the aromas that hit me instantly remind me of my childhood. I first ventured there after my dad died, and I was brought to tears at my first bite. It was like they had stolen Dad’s recipes.
It didn’t start as a windy day. The sun beaming down on my face felt oh so good. Spending time on the water with my family was one of my favorite activities. At first, I thought Dad’s 28-foot boat purchase felt excessive, but when we piled our entire family onto…
“Can you walk down the hall for me, please?” My specialist, with a stern look on her face, waits patiently. “And back again toward me now.” It feels so ridiculous that, as a 40-year-old woman, I’m being asked to do this. I steady myself and walk down the hallway. I…
I never imagined that a nurse would slap me across my face, but it happened. The slap wasn’t hard — it was just enough to jolt me back to reality, and I was grateful the nurse had done it. About 10 years ago, I was waiting for my cesarean section…
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the MRI, all the way from the changing room, the one and only …” I’ve sauntered into the room and grabbed the finger heart rate monitor, only to turn it into a makeshift microphone. The nurse looks at me, clearly unamused. I know…
We cannot separate science from life. Trust me, I’ve tried. Like most young people, I once thought of myself as invincible. So I was absolutely stunned when I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) at the age of 24. With the diagnosis, my world came crumbling down. Yet while…
I have never met Sumaira Ahmed in person, but her energy and passion radiate through computer screens and phone calls. It’s what convinced many of us to follow her charge and become ambassadors for her nonprofit organization, The Sumaira Foundation for NMO, or TSF for short. As…
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