Private Chef, Writer & Podcaster
A heartfelt, humorous look at loving someone who stands by you through sarcoidosis, heart failure, and every medical plot twist life throws at you — a reminder that the strongest medicine is the person who refuses to let go.
Living with heart failure and sarcoidosis means juggling defibrillators, dark humor, and the calm certainty that hospital staff really should know your final wishes before things get dramatic. This honest, witty look at advanced directives, chronic illness planning, and medical chaos reminds readers why self-advocacy matters—and why humor still wins.
Some summers slap you with sunshine, and others hit you with the reality of chronic illness, sarcoidosis, and that rebellious heart that never reads the room. This is the story of one overly ambitious chef who pushed too hard, paid for it immediately, and finally had to accept the uncomfortable truth: the “old me” isn’t coming back, but the new me deserves just as much care—ideally before collapsing into a lounge chair like a wilted basil leaf.
Two new podcast episodes explore living with sarcoidosis, invisible illness, and finding purpose when life looks smaller than expected. Honest reflections on chronic illness, meaning, and being unseen — now streaming on Thoughts While Surviving: Chronic Illness.
Living with sarcoidosis and heart failure means facing down terrifying statistics, clueless predictions, and medical journals that act like they’re auditioning to narrate a true-crime documentary about my lungs. But in the middle of all that doom, I’ve learned to rewrite the script, trust my stubborn body, and keep choosing a life filled with humor, resilience, love, and the occasional hummingbird cameo.
Tate Basildon 