Columns

It’s getting dark earlier, and it’s cold and gray where I live. The fallen leaves have lost their shades of yellow, red, and green, and are now a mélange of brown. Mist coats the rooftops of Vienna, muting and calming the shining Christmas lights. Change is coming. I must accept…

My mom got an adorable kitten last weekend. When I showed my boys the sweet picture she texted us, Jonah questioned me about our cat that we re-homed when he was little. (Photos courtesy of Patrice Williams) “Why did we get rid of…

Last in a series. Read part one. After our son Jonah was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa, we made the difficult decision for him to get a gastrostomy feeding tube. Once it was decided, things went into motion pretty quickly. To…

This month, one of my childhood dreams came true. Ever since I was 15, I secretly wanted to be a model. But because I have scars on my body due to epidermolysis bullosa, my dream was hard to achieve. What is acceptance? I liked myself in pictures that were shot…

First in a two-part series. Our son Jonah, who was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa in 2009, struggled to eat from the beginning. It was one of the main reasons he had to remain in the NICU after he was born. Jonah finally ate…

Last in a series. Read part one.  I continued an interview this week with my son Jonah, who is 11 and was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB), after we both got a bit long-winded the last time we sat down to chat.

Living with a rare disease, all I wanted my entire life was to be “normal” and to fit in. But I’ve since changed my mind. Not only have I learned to enjoy being “different” and thriving with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), but also I think I want to be more than…

First in a series. My son Jonah was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa in 2009. He is now 11 and in the sixth grade. I am honored to write this column about EB, but Jonah is the one we need to hear from. Being his mom is the greatest…

Our son Jonah is 11 years old now and just began the sixth grade. It blows my mind to think that it has been 11 years since our journey with epidermolysis bullosa began. In some ways, it feels like it’s been much longer, and…

I am finally back at Bionews and writing as “The Girl with the Butterfly Tattoo.” I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed writing. Due to the coronavirus and the craziness that was — well, still is — going on in the world, I had to stop writing my…

When my son Jonah was born with epidermolysis bullosa, saying it was a shock is a gross understatement. Unknowingly, my husband, Matt, and I each carried mutated genes that, when joined together, made for a monster disease that ravaged our sweet baby’s tender body.  Our first…

The scariest thing about a rare disease is that nobody has the answers you’re desperately seeking. When you are facing something so unfamiliar and the people who are supposed to know don’t, it’s terrifying. The first couple months of the life of my son…