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Attending elementary school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, was just the basis of my education. At age 5, I began doing needlepoint and other forms of needlework. Among these was lace-making in the form of tatting. I was not very good at it, nor at…

Thursday was a good day for watching TV in the mid-1960s. I would rush through my homework and piano practice, and settle in from 7 to 9 p.m. to enjoy wonderful sitcoms. But little did I realize that on another network, on Sept. 8, 1966, a science fiction show called…

Early Sunday morning on Jan. 18, I called 911 for my first-ever ambulance ride as a patient. I was in extreme pain in what seemed to be every joint in my body. On the way, I was diagnosed with a slight fever. And that was just the beginning. I was…

Although my Scrabble scores may suggest otherwise, I have always been a logophile — a person deeply fascinated by and enamored with words. So it was with double delight that I recently discovered a new term: post-exertional malaise (PEM). PEM is defined as “a delayed worsening of symptoms that occurs…

I expected to be feeling better and to have more energy after I received two units of red blood cells (RBCs) earlier this month, but instead, 10 days later, I found myself at the Spencer Cancer Center, feeling much worse. It was no wonder, a triage nurse said after my…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with rituximab and bendamustine infusions. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Last in a series. Read parts one and two. The last crack of lightning started the…

Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. Internationally, find a suicide prevention…

First in a series. I woke up earlier than usual for my first day back at the Spencer Cancer Center in Alabama. But as my anemia has gotten worse, getting dressed takes much longer than usual, because I have to rest often. But my ride was coming at 7:30…

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a…

As the plane rolled along the seemingly endless taxiway to the gate, I began figuring out how I would get from the airport to my house, about an hour and a half’s drive. My ride had to cancel, so I was on my own. This particular problem was part and…