Other than being spectacularly flat, my feet gave me no trouble for my first 72 years. True, when I stepped out of water, the tracks my feet left would be completely filled in — no arch. And the noise of my footfalls was “flop flop flop!”, like walking in swimfins. I was even told, when
No one can fully understand another person’s pain. Before my son’s accident, I thought people in a wheelchair just sat down a lot. I had no idea of the endless quiet agonies and frustrations they endure. But at least people notice the wheelchair — what if a person looked utterly healthy, young, slender, beautiful —
In the middle of the night, I was wakened by a soft “pop” inside my head, like the bursting of a bubble wrap. And the strangest thing — I could see the individual letters of the words of my thoughts, writing themselves. Like: I t-h-i-n-k s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g i-s w-r-o-n-g i-n-s-i-d-e m-y h-e-a-d… I poked Gloria beside me, and
Imagine a government program that attracts money, instead of just spending it… The California stem cell program does exactly that. Technically titled the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) the program has spent approximately $2.6 billion since its beginning. But from other sources, the program has brought in $1.9 billion — and more is almost certainly
When Dianne Keaton took her blouse off in the movie THE FAMILY STONE, I was quite happy for a second — a major movie star undressing? And then, in an instant, the mood changed. I jerked back in my theater seat, and made a soundless inward scream. Her breasts were gone. In their place was a short
If you visit the Chicago Air Museum (now called the Museum of Science and Industry) you can see the actual plane the Wright brothers flew, on the world’s first leap into the sky. It is an amazing museum, well worth your time and the sixteen-dollar admission fee. But one of the most interesting exhibits might
My cousin Michael lay on his back in the hospital bed. A tube ran from the top of his right foot down to a plastic bag of dark liquid. Mike has diabetes, and the circulation in his foot had been shutting down: the skin was turning black. Two days ago, the doctor used a marker
Imagine pain, excruciating pain, like broken glass in your veins. Now imagine, on top of that, being insulted — at the hospital? Hold that thought. First, the enemy: sickle cell disease (SCD) which means a change in the shape of your blood cells. Instead of being round and soft, the cells become hard and c-shaped, like a
“You ought to get a computer!” said my cousin Tommy Snyder, a couple of decades ago, “It would help you write your books!” “Sure,” I snapped, ”Next time I get an extra $5,000 (computers cost a lot back then) I will just dash right out and get one!” Months passed, and I forgot about the
