Columns

Growing up with a rare skin condition, such as epidermolysis bullosa (EB), gives a person a lot to worry about and tends to make them want to have control over their environment. Because my skin is missing a certain collagen, the layers of the skin do not stick…

After more than 12 years of watching my son, Jonah, battle epidermolysis bullosa, and battling it myself as a caregiver, I have found myself becoming robotic, overly acclimated to our normal. I’m no mental health expert, but I imagine this has something to do with my…

In the spring of 2018, I was lucky enough to meet a member of the Bionews team (the parent company of Epidermolysis Bullosa News) at the European Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products in Vienna. Brad, the director of columns, asked me if I was interested in…

Heading back to school has always been a bit rough for my son Jonah, who lives with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB). Now that he is a middle schooler, things seem to become increasingly frustrating and difficult for him each year. This is partly due to his painful and abnormal life…

I am in the middle of a big change. It feels like one season of my life is ending, and a new one is slowly beginning. I’m experiencing changes in scenery, people, job, and mindset. I’m ready for something new. But these changes involve a lot of uncertainty, which is…

I think middle schoolers are a bunch of weirdos. I thought this even before Jonah, my son with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB), was a middle schooler himself. I have a K-12 education degree and taught high school Spanish for four years before having kids. When Jonah was in elementary…

I live with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare skin condition that makes my skin as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. That’s why we are called “butterfly children.” I like that name. It makes the disease sound beautiful and innocent, even if it is not. But it’s not…

I love Facebook‘s Memories feature. Although it can be a negative space, I do value it as a digital scrapbook for our family. Each day I open the app and reflect on what has happened on that day in previous years. There are hilarious stories, like the time our…

I’m avoiding packing. I have a two-page packing list with three columns per page staring up at me from my kitchen counter. I feel the printed pages mocking me as I pace the floors trying to get started. We leave for the beach in 48 hours, and I’m frozen in…

The skin is the body’s largest organ, with a total surface area of about 22 square feet. The skin protects us from microbes and the elements, helps regulate body temperature, and permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold. In my case, my skin is “special.” I live with…

Last week, I tried something new, something I never thought I could do because of my condition. Many people told me I couldn’t do it, even though it’s a normal experience for most people. A new opportunity My boyfriend opened a restaurant, and I offered to help out during…

Our son Jonah’s last day of sixth grade was last week. Like every kid, he brought home loads of papers, folders, and notebooks. And like every kid, he left the contents piled on the dining room table waiting for it to magically clean itself up. After three days,…