Health
Recovering, Reading, and Revising
A few weeks ago, I was hospitalized for appendicitis and sepsis. The infection was so severe that they put me on a long course of antibiotics, and I’m hopefully having surgery soon to remove my appendix. But even now, I still don’t feel great. My side hurts, and some nights, it’s impossible to get comfortable.
Slowing Down, but Not Stopping
When you’re weak, tired, and not feeling like yourself, you have to listen to your body and do what you can with the energy you have. For me, that means reading. And thankfully, that’s something I can still do. I’ve been rereading my published books—not just because I love them, but because we’ve updated the covers and are tweaking the copy. If you’re with a small press like I am, you often have more flexibility to make small fixes post-publication. If you’re with a big traditional publisher, that’s a lot harder—but if you ever get the chance to refine your work, take it.
Writing, Motherhood, and Resilience: Honoring Women’s Strength on International Women’s Day
A few days ago, I had a crazy, unexpected trip to the emergency room—one that completely changed my perspective on health, motherhood, and the many roles we carry as women. It started with severe abdominal pain on my right side, which turned out to be acute appendicitis with localized peritonitis. My appendix had perforated, I had sepsis, and my body was fighting a serious infection.
How Almost Losing My Son In 2022 Helped Me To Define 2023 Goals
September 18, 2022, was like any other late summer Southern California day. The weather was nice, and my family and I were excited to use our Disneyland annual passes. As we prepared to leave, we noticed our then 15-month-old son was extra clingy and kept wanting to be held, which wasn’t unusual. But soon, clingy behavior turned into favoring one leg, and then he wasn’t willing to walk.
At first, we thought he strained his right leg trying to climb out of his crib. He was normally our little Tasmanian Devil, climbing up on furniture and running around. So, the fact that he suddenly wasn’t willing to walk was worrisome. We almost went along with our plans to go to Disneyland, figuring he would spend most of the day in his stroller, anyway. But we followed our parental instincts and took him into the emergency room. We had no idea what was in store for us. My husband and I expected to be in and out of the hospital, possibly with a prescription for pain meds. We hoped it would be nothing more than our son being needy. While my daughter was advanced and an early speaker, our son was born premature by 6 weeks. He was trying to communicate with Mommy and Daddy as best as he could. He was telling us something was very wrong, even as he couldn’t speak.
Read the rest of this entry »#WorldHealthDay & Why #MentalHealthMatters
Of all health awareness issues and causes, mental health remains an under-represented topic.
World Health Day is more than an opportunity to complain about our rising health insurance premiums. Health coverage differs all around the world, and of course, the U.S. doesn’t rank as one of the best. This includes the lack of mental health services. Read the rest of this entry »
Overcoming Fear: Resurrecting You Without Limits
Fearless is climbing El Capitan in Yosemite. Overwhelming and epic is ascending the famous rock with only 10 fingers and 10 toes and a bag of chalk—in about 3.5 hours, no less. Talk about someone who has personal motivation removed of insecurities or what? Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 