“I don’t know what it is,” she says. But I can tell from the look on her face that she is as scared for me as I am. “We’ll fly you to Oahu for a CAT scan to get more information, then we’ll discuss a plan of action…

I haven’t just said, “I want one!” To a loaf of bread or even a new car. I’ve just committed to a house.
This decision is not quite as spontaneous as it appears at first blush. The following week I found myself soul-searching to make sure this big choice was not just another of my; commit in haste, repent at leisure projects…

The phone call came on a Tuesday morning in August 2014. I had been home for only six weeks, from my summer trip to Rochester, to visit my family.
“Mom,” Michelle starts with a quavering voice, “Alicia wanted me to call you because she couldn’t handle talking about it yet.”
“What? What couldn’t she handle talking about?” My stomach flipped. “What’s going on?”
…

PART 4

“The operation went very well. We’ve kept her on the respirator for now as we gave her some extra anesthesia at the end to ensure that she gets some solid rest for the remainder of the night. We don’t anticipate her waking up until morning.” I want to hug the doctor…CONTINUE READING

PART 3

Forty-five minutes later I’m at the airport. It’s still dark out, but it’s now four o’clock. The flurry of activity to pack a few clothes and hightail it to the airport has kept me from falling apart…

At the risk of anthropomorphizing, I look over at MacKenzie, sitting next to me in the backseat of Bronwen and Micky’s car, and think she looks uncannily human…

I pull up in the driveway of my current place of residence that I loosely call home, when in reality it is far from the cozy picture that name implies…

The majority of people who want more than a conventional life, often start out by experimenting with different lifestyle choices shortly after leaving school. ..

I feel like I’m living my life backwards. This is my first conscious thought as I slowly ascend from the depths of sleep…