Private Chef, Writer & Podcaster
In the middle of managing sarcoidosis and all the glamorous paperwork life insists on assigning, I keep circling back to one voice I can still hear clearly: my mother’s—suddenly brighter, younger, almost mischievous—when an old name resurfaced after decades. It started as a phone call and ended up becoming one of those stories that quietly rearranges your insides… especially when you never get the ending you thought you’d get.
Growing up with childhood trauma and overwhelming guilt after witnessing my step-father’s heart attack shaped everything—from how I curse, to how I cook, to how I manage chronic illness today. While emotional suppression can increase stress, inflammation, and heart risk, meditation, humor, cooking, and selective profanity helped me survive. If you’ve ever carried guilt, wrestled with grief, or learned to cope quietly, this story will remind you that you’re not the villain—you’re surviving with heart.
For nearly two decades, I had a deep, complicated friendship with someone I never met in person. We bonded over email, phone calls, cancer, cats, and clashing work styles. Then one day, I almost didn’t pick up the phone. This is a story about unexpected grief, long-distance connections, and why you should never let a call go to voicemail.
A tragic MRI accident in Westbury, NY, has one private chef and chronic illness survivor reflecting on medical safety, invisible disabilities, and the emotional weight of navigating life with sarcoidosis and heart failure. For fellow spoonies and debut authors juggling symptoms, appointments, and everything in between—this one hits close.
Discover how to cope with the grief of losing a best friend when distance prevents attending their funeral. Explore heartfelt reflections on mourning, friendship, and finding closure from afar.