Private Chef, Writer & Podcaster
We spend so much time chasing the shining things—titles, trophies, applause that fades faster than a bad soufflé—but living with sarcoidosis and years of unexpected detours has a funny way of reminding me who really shows up when the cameras aren’t rolling. This little reflection started with a series of questions from Charles Schulz, and let’s just say the answers took me somewhere… unexpected.
Living with chronic illness brings sarcoidosis, heart failure, and an ICD that now syncs to my iPhone like it’s tracking my heart for a fitness challenge—but I’m grateful for the technology keeping me alive. This updated look at remote monitoring, reversed pulmonary hypertension, and modern cardiac care shows why complaining less and appreciating more can change everything.
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.
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 chef living with chronic illness discovers that sometimes life’s soggy disappointments lead to unexpected beauty—like when a canceled dog walk turns into a rainbow moment that slaps you with perspective. A story about resilience, humor, and finding color in the drizzle.
Tate Basildon 