Take that, Labor Day
I spent many Labor Days in the hospital in my early 20s. As the seasons began to change, my lungs would get angry, leading to a cystic...
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- Jul 15
- 3 min
Leaving Lackville
I’d typically try to think of a clever way to start a post like this, but I’ll get right to it: I’m fed up with myself. Over the past...
- May 16
- 1 min
For the birds
Two brown thrashers built a nest in the camelia outside the sunroom window. For the past few weeks, as I sat at my desk, I watched them...
- May 3
- 4 min
Woe to the child (birthday edition)
You know that ol’ medieval European saying, "Woe to the child who tastes salty from a kiss on the brow, for he is cursed and soon will...
- Apr 14
- 3 min
37th Heaven
I turn 37 on April 26. On the surface, 37 doesn’t sound like a particularly significant age. It’s approaching “I’m almost 40” territory...
- Mar 24
- 6 min
Did Ashton Kutcher Get Punk'd?
"I wish I could give Ashton Kutcher an update," I sometimes think. I wanted him to know when I started performing improv. And when I got...
- Jan 26
- 3 min
Give paws for thought
Meditation gets a bad rap sometimes. People view it as being too woo-woo or out there, shutting down at the mere mention of words like...
- Nov 25, 2022
- 3 min
A flight of imagination
I have a complicated relationship with airplanes. I was once headed to NYC for a work trip and had an awful asthma attack. I was gasping...
- Oct 21, 2022
- 1 min
I'm published!
I was embarrassed to admit I wanted to be a writer for a very long time. I was fearful of seeming unrealistic, for one, but putting my...
- Jul 27, 2022
- 1 min
Role reversal
EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently wrote a guest post for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here's where to find it: Role Reversal: When Someone With...
- Jul 13, 2022
- 2 min
Trial and error
When I took my first dose of Trikafta in March 2019, I felt, as the pills slid down my throat, that my life might be changing. And change...
- May 19, 2022
- 1 min
Let donations ring!
This photograph may look like your average 36-year-old man eating a red, white, and blue popsicle, but there's much more. At the time,...
- Apr 19, 2022
- 4 min
Breathe in gratitude
Today is one of the tougher grief milestones because it marks two years since Ramón's cardiac arrest. My hope for today is that I can...
- Jul 20, 2021
- 2 min
Rewriting the story
After Ramón’s death a year ago, I set a goal to build my endurance until I could run for 60 minutes without stopping. I can’t recall why...
- Jan 20, 2021
- 4 min
The gossip on grief: Six months later
Grief is powerful. In fact, it's so mighty it has rendered society largely incapable of discussing it. Today marks 6 months of widowhood.
- Aug 18, 2020
- 4 min
Befores and afters
A few weeks ago, two of my long-time cohorts stopped by to enjoy drinks and conversation – and bring dinner (Yum!). My friend Amanda...
- Jul 2, 2020
- 2 min
Day +83: Let non-freedom ring
“I’m not going to wear my ring, okay?” I remember Ramón asking that as we did one last sweep of the house before departing for the...
- Jun 25, 2020
- 3 min
Day +76: Mashed potatoes
This morning, day +76, while walking the dogs, my mom turned to me and asked, “Did I tell you about the dream where I was feeding Ramón...
- May 26, 2020
- 3 min
Day +46: Life is hard.
The past several weeks have been, without a doubt, the most difficult time of my life. Each day, I have been hopeful that Ramón’s status...
- Mar 17, 2020
- 1 min
Our lucky day?
This photo was taken two years ago today, and it has me feeling somewhat nostalgic. I’m longing for a time when I was the only sick half...
My name is Drew Dotson, and my life has been anything but perfect, yet it's still perfectly beautiful. After growing up with a genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, I was blessed to meet an amazing man who loved me without bounds. Then he died.
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