Tag: Personal Narratives
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How to treat a broken heart: An instruction guide
Kate BaggottOntario, Canada Human beings are callous creatures. We pursue our own agendas, desires, and happiness at the expense of those who would love us. We have all done it. We have all disputed the purity of another’s love. We have all had our hearts broken in turn. We all know this state; of mourning,…
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We Love the Garden, It is Heaven, But We Cannot Stay
Karen YousoMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States Below the Mayo Clinic is a maze of tunnels. Not the dark, dank tunnels one might expect, but wide bright hallways. Tall ceilings. Recessed lights. Artwork on the walls and carpet under foot. Miles and miles of pristine carpet. It is called a subway, a pedestrian subway. Along the subways…
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The ghosts of yesteryear
Sarah HowardBoise, Idaho, United States Some old buildings are drenched in mystery, regardless of their intended purpose or how many times they have been remodeled. I have often considered that the grand, century-old, empty building down the street was no exception, and furthermore, I stick to the opinion that I have been proven right. Originally…
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An autoimmune love story
Megan GillerBrooklyn, New York, United States When I was twenty-three, my body attacked my liver. My doctor checked me into the hospital and my boyfriend and I broke up. That year, the year my body snatched my youth, ushered in nearly a decade of medical and emotional relapses and ruined relationships. The doctors call my…
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My little old lady
Nestor Ramirez-LopezChampaign, Illinois, United States In Colombia, as in other third-world countries, it is common to see street vendors of many types of goods. On Sundays and holidays, they concentrate around cinemas, sports arenas, the bullfighting ring, and other places where people tend to congregate. The most frequent articles for sale are food items, and…
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Is it legal yet?
Sarah BighamFrederick, Maryland, United States When I first embarked on this trip, I did not want to take to the land of chronic pain, with diagnoses as my expanding luggage. I only thought I had not worked hard enough to find the right medical specialist to prescribe the treatment that would end the hurt. After…
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Win or Lose
Ashley AustinCharlottesville, Virginia, United States It was my second month of trauma surgery and the deer-in-the-headlights look had not completely faded. I sat in the surgery resident lounge area finishing up some post-operative notes. The trauma pager and walkie-talkie weighed heavily on my hip. It was not the physical weight, but the weight of anticipation…
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Daniel’s clock
Yong GabrielBerlin, Germany In memory of Daniel Chong (1965-2001) My cousin Daniel was born in perhaps the most medically infelicitous era in human history. Developments in modern medicine ensured that he would survive serious congenital defects well into adulthood when barely half a century ago even many healthy babies did not make it past early…
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One year infirmed in USA & Japan: Differing practices in stroke rehabilitation
Laurel KamadaHirosaki-shi, Aomori-ken, Japan After surviving a massive hemorrhagic stroke five years ago, I spent half a year in stroke rehabilitation hospitals in each of two different countries. I stayed in hospitals and nursing homes in the United States before my husband and son brought me back home to Japan where I spent another half…
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Pink Skies
Gurbaksh ShergillFlint, Michigan, United States I stared silently out the window and took in my surroundings. The sun was slowly making its way into the sky, stretching as if waking up from a long slumber. The gold and pink tones of the sky were still hiding behind clouds, not quite ready to come out from…