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The Body Doesn’t Lie—But Sometimes Doctors Don’t Listen
Lived Experience Isn’t Optional Data. It’s the Truth You Can’t See in a Test Doctors vs. Patients: Why Being Heard Means Everything in...
Jun 19, 20252 min read
I Lived What 95% Don’t—And I’m Telling the Story
How surviving fibrosing mediastinitis, a rare disease no one believed, changed everything. My first dance with death started in 1987....
Jun 17, 20253 min read
The Letters I Wrote When I Thought I Was Dying
How hospice taught me to leave a legacy and live one too. When I was in hospice, everything changed. Not just physically, but...
Jun 12, 20252 min read
The Part of Heart Disease No One Prepares You For
We hear so much about the physical side of heart disease. The surgeries, medications, rehab. But what about the emotional side? What...
Jun 10, 20253 min read
💓 One Less Thing to Worry About: My Lp(a) Test Result
Heart stuff is never simple, especially when you’ve walked through it like I have. But sometimes, we get a bit of good news in the...
Jun 4, 20252 min read
Healing Out Loud: The Story Behind the Smile
Because surviving isn’t the same as healing As we know mental health doesn’t always come with a warning sign. It’s not as visible as a...
Jun 3, 20252 min read
This Is What Life After Hospice Looks Like
Advocacy wasn’t the plan—but it became my purpose. Advocacy is deeply personal for me. I’m a two-year hospice survivor living with...
May 28, 20253 min read
💬 Dear Doctors: Stop Telling Women It’s Just Anxiety
Because I almost died from the thing you said was in my head. Let’s talk about the elephant in the exam room.You know the one—where...
May 27, 20253 min read
Your Heart Talks Through Symptoms—Are You Listening?
Sometimes, the body whispers before it screams. Heart failure isn’t just “your heart is not working.” It’s your lungs gasping. It’s your...
May 21, 20252 min read
Real Talk: Building My Second Chance Took a Village
I talk a lot about second chances—because I’m living proof they exist. But the facts are, I didn’t get here on grit alone. It took a...
May 19, 20252 min read
The Interview Every Patient Deserves
Questions Every Doctor Should Be Asked—Before You Trust Them With Your Care I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been let down by a...
May 15, 20254 min read
From Barely Breathing to Truly Living — Why I Won’t Stay Quiet About TVR
Why am I talking about Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation (TVR)? Because talking about it creates change.Because sharing our stories makes...
May 14, 20252 min read
From Hospice to the Hill: Why I’m Honored to Join CLA by PACH
📍 Washington, D.C. | June 7–9, 2025 ✉️ Hosted by the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health (PACH) I’ve learned that life after...
May 8, 20252 min read
📰 From Bellingham to Australia AGAIN: My Story Travels
My Heart Story, Their Health Policy Living with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) isn’t just challenging—it’s exhausting, isolating,...
May 7, 20252 min read
Well, Here We Go Again… Aflutter’s Back
Just when I thought I could finally hit cruise control for a bit, atrial flutter decided to make a comeback. If you’re not familiar,...
May 6, 20252 min read
The Heart Surgery I Couldn’t Have – And the One That Saved Me ❤️🩹🥑
When traditional surgery failed me, innovation gave me a second chance I’ve always known I wasn’t a candidate for open-heart surgery. My...
May 1, 20253 min read
365 Days of Saying the Hard Stuff Out Loud
“ From Get Your Affairs in Order” to “Keep Telling Your Story” One year ago today, I started writing about something most people don’t...
Apr 23, 20252 min read
Grateful and Overwhelmed: Three Appointments, One Deep Breath
💥 Preventive care is still care—and this week, it’s hitting differently.💥 The results are in—and your girl tested positive for the...
Apr 17, 20252 min read
Second Chances Come With Scars ❤️🩹🥑 The Hidden Side Effects of Survival
This photo isn’t just a wound. It ’s the truth I carry every day as a woman who’s been on blood thinners for over a decade. It's the...
Apr 10, 20253 min read
Weathered, Not Weak: Let’s Call It What It Is—Weathering and Why We Need to Talk About It
Because being worn down doesn’t mean we’re worn out. There are some things in life you don’t understand until you’ve lived them. Like how...
Apr 10, 20253 min read
"If no one else was telling their story, then maybe I needed to tell mine. And maybe, just maybe, that would give others permission to share theirs too."
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