Columns

For most of my life, I’ve had a complicated relationship with my weight. I played sports in my early years, but because of my deep and abiding love for sugar and white bread, I was always a chubby kid. And while I wish I could get back to the svelteness…

I wrote last week about how the inaction and silence of others can be deafening. The opposite is also true. When help is offered and the offer is followed up on, it can leave you speechless, humbled, and grateful. And those who step up to help often are not…

One of the hardest things about living with a chronic illness like myasthenia gravis (MG) is the dialogue that doesn’t happen with people we know. The eye rolls we perceive when we try to update loved ones about our health status — whether they’re real or not. Or the phone…

A powerful imagination can be both a gift and a curse. On one hand, it can be a way for us to brainstorm and envision ideas. In a way, it can help us make a plan for the goals we want to reach. On the other hand, it can…

Many of my friends, colleagues, and family members set goals for the year in January. Goals can be personal or professional, interpersonal or financial, realistic or not. What makes a goal realistic, particularly for someone with myasthenia gravis (MG)? It’s a tough question to answer, but I’ll do my best.

Welcome to “The Whispered Roar,” a column where I will describe what it’s like living with a neuromuscular autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis (MG). I was officially diagnosed with generalized MG in 2018, although I had been battling symptoms since 2011. My journey to diagnosis is not an uncommon…

Like many others in the past two years, I’ve become a first-time houseplant owner. After “extensive” research, which involved perhaps a couple Google searches, I bought a Calathea ornata, or pinstripe Calathea, a beautiful plant with thin, pink-striped leaves. I wish I could say I chose it for…

New Year’s seems to hold a different meaning for everyone. Some see it as an opportunity to chug champagne, while others dedicate their time to brainstorming resolutions. I’ve never been very excited about the holiday. I’m not a big drinker, and have failed at too many resolutions to…

As a young teenager, I had a very specific vision for my college years. I imagined nonstop parties, long nights spent studying in the library, and failed attempts at trying to use the washing machine. But I couldn’t have imagined how different my college experience would be. My first year…

I’ve never been the most positive person in the world. I’ve discussed in previous columns how my negative tendencies have affected my life, but I’ve since made progress in becoming more positive. The journey has had its hurdles, though. In the early years after my myasthenia gravis diagnosis,…