Final Breaths and Other Small Things
His breaths had slowed to such an interval that by the time they stopped, I stood there for several minutes with my hand on his chest to be sure that it was no longer rising and falling. I wasn’t entirely sure he really was gone until the nurse came in with her...
The Real Reason I Bust my Butt Wiping Butts for a Living
It’s hard to believe it was only just over a year ago that I went from cushy and clean office jobs to the messy manual labor of patient care in order to get some experience as I become a nurse. There have been many moments when I wondered what the hell I was thinking...
I’m Almost Positive my Covid-19 Test Will be Negative, but…
I got tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday. And now I wait for results. At home, quietly. Without going out and about or even seeing extended family. Though I haven’t quarantined from my immediate family, I did have my ex-husband keep the older girls an extra few days until...
Dealing with the Death in “Coronavirus Time”
My precious four-year-old refers to this time as Coronavirus Time. To her it’s a happy time with lots of snuggles and baking. Even when my Uncle died of Covid-19 last month, I don’t think the dots connected for her. And I’m OK with that. Frankly, I don’t think the...
Inside Dolphin 406 – How a Luxury Cruise turned into a Covid-19 Prison for a Scottsdale Medical Couple
When Sommer and Steve Gunia left Arizona on January 16 and traveled across the world to Tokyo to board the fated Diamond Princess cruise on January 20, they had never even heard of the Novel Coronavirus that was already sweeping across China. Sommer is a doctor (and...
How Do You Do Spring Cleaning During a Pandemic?
5 Timeless Tips to Refresh and Renew Your Home for Spring, plus a bonus 2020 quarantine tip. Spring Break has been extended indefinitely, and we are suddenly spending a lot more time at home. Perfect time to tackle all those home improvement projects we never have...
I’m Both a Jew and a Christian, and Holy Week is Hard…Especially Right Now
I awake in the middle of the night with a tightness in my belly, a heaviness in my chest. I have been working on identifying negative emotions and sitting with them for a while, rather than simply trying to stuff them or numb them. I ask my body what's wrong, why do I...
The Wild Ride of the Coronavirus Scare…and What if We Actually do Have it?
My, how life can change in a week! Last week I posted an article about how we were still going to Disneyland despite my recent surgery and the Coronavirus, which at the time, was just shy of an official pandemic. We had a wonderful trip and made fabulous memories,...
Why We’re Still Going to Disneyland for Spring Break Despite the Coronavirus
And the steps we’ll take to keep our family safe in the Magic Kingdom Undeterred by worldwide panic over the Covid-19 Coronavirus, we don’t have any plans to curtail our first family trip to Disneyland next week. Unless Disney shuts down the park or the CDC prohibits...
Ode to My Breasts, a Eulogy and a Celebration of Life
The Breast is Yet to Come: My Journey Through Breast Cancer, Treatment and Reconstruction Watching the new Little Women movie in the theater several weeks ago, I was struck by the fact that I never really grieved the loss of my breasts. Or celebrated their life. Since...