Columns

The potential benefits and risks of cannabis have long been a topic of discussion. There are various stigmas attached to the plant because people have different opinions about it. Is cannabis a drug? Can it be used as an alternative to Western medicine? Is it dangerous? The answers are frequently…

I worked as a child protective investigator for the state of Florida some years ago. The job was extremely demanding. I had to acquire information, analyze it, and make a decision about a child’s safety and the capacity of a caregiver to provide that safety. Being an investigator was a…

What happens when we don’t properly deal with unresolved trauma? I asked myself this question years ago after speaking with my wife and realizing how a pituitary adenoma had affected my life. One of the hardest things for someone with this type of tumor to deal with are…

I often come across social media posts in which people are bashing doctors and saying that as patients, they aren’t being treated the way they should be. Now, I understand that there are doctors who strictly care about money and look at each case the same way. For this reason,…

On Saturday, I will turn 39 years old. Six years ago, I wasn’t sure what my life would look like after being diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma. Every year since my transsphenoidal surgery, I reflect on my personal growth. It has taken me about five years post-op for…

One of the hardest emotions to deal with is grief. Processing loss is difficult. Two weeks ago, I lost a great friend and supporter when my mother-in-law, Felicia Jearlds, lost her battle with cancer. I dedicate this column to her loving memory. In my career, I often work with…

One thing from my childhood that sticks out to me were Saturday mornings. If I wasn’t playing ball, then I was helping my parents do yardwork. My mother had an area on the side of our home where she had different plants. After my brother and I finished cutting the…

In one of the Cushing’s disease support groups I belong to, I recently saw a question about what to expect during transsphenoidal surgery and the Gamma Knife procedure, two procedures used to remove or treat tumors. It just so happens that I have experienced both. If you are…

Having a rare disease is a struggle, and sometimes I feel alone, like nobody understands me. Luckily, when I was going through Cushing’s disease, my fiancé and now husband, Logan, provided me with emotional support. It was difficult on both of us. While I was experiencing physical pain, my hormones…

For the past 13 years, the superhero genre has taken over cinema and given us some of the best experiences at the movies. I am a huge fan of superhero movies. This got me thinking about the criteria for being a superhero and whether it is the same for being…