Judge Ramón Alvarado ’05
I type this with tears in my eyes. They’re mostly droplets of gratitude that I had the immense pleasure of spending almost a decade of my...
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- Sep 29
- 2 min
Lessons from a sea turtle
As my mom and I walked along the beach one morning last week, I saw movement a few feet ahead. It was a baby sea turtle—a...
- Dec 7, 2022
- 2 min
Season's Grievings
It’s the most wonderful time of year.* *but not for everyone I’ve intended to write this post for weeks now, but I’ve struggled with...
- Oct 5, 2022
- 3 min
I hugged a sign.
I hugged a sign last weekend, and it hugged me back. It’s official! At this very moment, cars are driving over the Judge Ramón Alvarado...
- Sep 22, 2022
- 1 min
Remembering Ramón
I think we’ve all had the same pressing question lately: How do I live a life that's so amazing they name a bridge after me? Just...
- May 7, 2022
- 1 min
Happy birthday, Your Honor!
Today this guy would have turned 43! It would have also been the three-year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis. This year, as the date...
- 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.
- Oct 24, 2020
- 2 min
Thank you for everything
A friend gifted me this leather bracelet in August. She conspired to get a sample of Ramón’s handwriting, and my mom had a note from...
- Sep 24, 2020
- 1 min
How am I doing?
How am I doing? Well, I’m exploring new places through travel, music, and books. I’m sitting on hold with countless financial...
- Jul 26, 2020
- 2 min
One week
It’s been one week since we said goodbye to Ramón, and it’s been more than 14 weeks since I said farewell to the version of Ramón I’d...
- Jul 11, 2020
- 2 min
Day +93 (today): Hospital Day 100 (yesterday)
Today is day +93 since transplant, and yesterday was Ramón’s 100th consecutive day in the hospital. Though each individual day has felt...
- Jun 4, 2020
- 2 min
Thank you, Atlanta Braves!
Day +54: Keep swinging June 3, 2020 You know when you’re just staring at the computer screen, deciding what to say to Hank Aaron? Do you...
- Apr 27, 2020
- 3 min
Days +12, 15, and 18
Day +12: A turtle's pace April 22, 2020 Though time has been moving at the speed of molasses, it’s moving, and that’s the most important...
- Apr 17, 2020
- 5 min
Days +5 to +8
Day +5: Window of opportunity April 15, 2020 It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but we had a good day! Though we’ve had glimpses...
- Mar 8, 2020
- 2 min
twenty is plenty
Well, well, well … It’s hospital day 20. It’s not Ramón’s best day, but we’re making the best of every day. When I’m faced with...
- Feb 22, 2020
- 3 min
Enjoy the ride
It’s hard to believe we are where we are. Last Sunday we were near Blue Ridge where Ramón kick-started the week by running up a mountain...
- Dec 31, 2019
- 2 min
Peace out, 2019
The time has finally come to say goodbye to one of the best, most awful years of my life. I got a cold on Thanksgiving (so thankful),...
- Nov 13, 2019
- 1 min
tiny kindnesses
We watched a movie, Paterson, the other night, and the main character was a poet. It got me thinking about how much I used to love...
- Sep 28, 2019
- 2 min
A tribute to Grocery Bag Lady
When we moved to our current neighborhood, we slowly got a feel for our surroundings. A certain neighbor sits on his front steps every...
- Aug 5, 2019
- 2 min
Share Love, That's All
Tomorrow marks three months since Ramón's cancer diagnosis -- uh, I mean, birthday. A few days after Ramón's diagnosis, surprise visitors...
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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