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Just July
Last week, on the first of July, my neighbor Tracy surprised me with this vase of flowers. With it was a handwritten note praising my...
Jul 8, 20242 min read
Joyful June: I Broke Myself
As May drew to an end, I decided I wanted to approach June with a different perspective. Having become increasingly bogged down by the...
Jun 10, 20244 min read
Cuddle parties and self-care
Have you ever heard of a Cuddle Party? I’m not referring to my status when I’m on the couch in a pile of beagles. Instead, I’m talking...
Jan 11, 20242 min read
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...
Oct 26, 20232 min read
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...
Sep 29, 20232 min read
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...
Dec 7, 20222 min read
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...
Oct 5, 20223 min read
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...
Sep 22, 20221 min read
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...
May 7, 20221 min read
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.
Jan 20, 20214 min read
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...
Oct 25, 20202 min read
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...
Sep 25, 20201 min read
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 27, 20202 min read
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...
Jul 12, 20202 min read
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...
Jun 5, 20202 min read
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 28, 20203 min read
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...
Apr 18, 20205 min read
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...
Mar 9, 20202 min read
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...
Feb 22, 20203 min read
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),...
Dec 31, 20192 min read
Gallery
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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