Just Keep Swimming — Janneke Phung

The pain started in my teen years, and unbeknownst to me at the time, it would become a close companion for many years to come. Yet despite this persistent chronic pain, it took well over a decade to receive…

When I was in my mid-to-late teens, I started noticing that pain was a regular part of my life. I have memories of a shoebox full of prescription medication beside my bed — some to treat the various…

“I’m leaving a generous one-star review because I paid $48 only to be told by the doctor that I should drink more water. My headaches have been frequent. I expected more — at the very least, a prescription for…

Last in a series. Read part one. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today.” — Thich…

First in a series. I grew up in a Christian home. I attended church every Sunday and knew the answers to most of the questions in Sunday school. I felt like I rated pretty high as a faithful follower…

“Oh, my goodness, am I having a heart attack?” It was just after 1 a.m. I had felt achy in my ribs and chest area for several nights in a row, but this was something altogether…

It was a Saturday afternoon in October 2019. While I was the mom of three active young boys, sadly, it wasn’t unusual for me to be resting in bed at that time of day. I remember the moment vividly,…

Do you like camping? I do. However, my love for camping (read: my attitude) was tested this spring. We had just backed our minivan — which was packed to the rafters with kids and gear — into our campsite…

Without Facebook, my spine would likely be fused and, almost certainly, my quality of life wouldn’t be what it is today. But I hate giving it so much credit for my current well-being. Clearly, I have a love-hate relationship…

“How in the world did we get so unlucky?!” I couldn’t believe that our fourth mattress in a year appeared to be another dud. Shortly after this disappointing occurrence, I had a revelation: The mattresses weren’t the problem. I…

Four years ago, I was living in the throes of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Health professionals told me my pain stemmed from an autoimmune disease that was best treated with biologics. At that time, I would have laughed…