D: “Alex has what’s called pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. It’s a type of autism.” K: “He’s considered intellectually disabled as well. He functions like a wonderful, beautiful child with all the funny things. He’s like a 4-year-old with the hormones of a 29-year-old. So … Continue readingSeeing world through autistic son’s eyes
“We had three senior dogs, and we lost all of them because they were just at that age. One of them, Pablo, was a medical response dog. I trained him because I have two brain aneurysms. I was having neurological events where I would lose … Continue readingMedical response dog watching for falls
K: “David was working as a federal attorney, and he started to have trouble with executive functioning. He was always the go-to guy in the office, his supervisors said. He was the one who mentored all the young attorneys and managed a huge caseload. But … Continue readingGood days, bad days with Parkinson’s
“Last summer, my dad was diagnosed with renal cancer. It was a really big surprise. We were on a road trip, and he got food poisoning eating at a Chili’s. We ended up going to the ER. They did a CT scan of his stomach, … Continue readingBig sister steps up in time of need
“One of my friends got into an argument on social media. She texted me and said, ‘These two people are harassing me on Facebook. Can you please help?’ So I kind of intervened. But I very quickly came to the realization that no matter what … Continue readingDebate opens her eyes to differing points of view
“They had to go through a lot of approvals to put me back on the transplant list. Somehow they got it done. And within a week, they found another liver for me. It was amazing how fast it happened. “They don’t let you know who … Continue readingBullrider loses his life, but lets her live
“After my transplant, I had scans every six months. Since I had two little nodules of cancer in my original liver, they wanted to make sure it didn’t come back. “Meanwhile, they discovered that my bile duct and the donor’s bile duct never matched up … Continue reading‘They thought they were going to lose me’
“They called on a Saturday morning. My husband had just gotten off working nights, so I didn’t answer the phone. Then they called him. He didn’t answer his phone. They called my daughter. She didn’t answer her phone. They called my sister. She did answer … Continue readingHer birthday present: a new liver
“I did my first play when I was about 5 years old. It was a church Christmas play, and I was the star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. I discovered that I was a big ham, and I couldn’t get enough of … Continue readingCommunity theater haven for ‘weird kid’
“My dad was a Southern Baptist minister and a doomsday prepper. I was raised in Palestine, up in East Texas. We lived in the parsonage next to the church where my dad preached. But he also built a little cabin in the woods, just outside … Continue readingDoomsday prepper dad prepares her for COVID-19