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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
Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced...
Sep 12, 20221 min read
Letting "them" go
I’ve always cared a bit too much about what other people think. For instance, I’ve been self-employed for more than five years, and I...
Sep 9, 20222 min read
OMGlennon
I am here with a proclamation: I became one of Glennon Doyle’s biggest fans over the past 24 hours. I first heard her name a month after...
Aug 25, 20222 min read
October 1: Save the date!
Several months ago, a *quite* special resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly: HR 918: Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge;...
Aug 22, 20221 min read
One step at a time
“Here,” an ICU nurse said as she handed me Ramón’s Fitbit. He’d just been situated in the ICU after his cardiac arrest. While they were...
Aug 16, 20222 min read
Role reversal
EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently wrote a guest post for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here's where to find it: Role Reversal: When Someone With...
Jul 27, 20221 min read
Despite the date
April 26. I've said that date aloud many times throughout my life. As a perpetual patient, I divulge my birthday at doctor visits, as I...
Jul 20, 20221 min read
Trial and error
When I took my first dose of Trikafta in March 2019, I felt, as the pills slid down my throat, that my life might be changing. And change...
Jul 13, 20222 min read
A joyful heart
When I sit down to write something grief related, I occasionally feel a twinge of worry. I’m concerned that by continuing to document my...
Jul 1, 20222 min read
![[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1338,h_1000,fp_0.50_0.50,q_30,blur_30,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg)
![[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1140,h_852,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg)
[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*
The original post has been updated below. It's no secret that I write a lot about grief — it's been a significant part of my life. Today,...
Jun 21, 20223 min read
Circle back around
This beautiful ring used to adorn my husband's hand, but now it’s in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. When Ramón was going into the...
Jun 16, 20222 min read
Down here on earth
I cut my left hand this morning. It was nothing serious, but it warranted the use of antiseptic spray. As I got the bottle out of the...
Jun 7, 20221 min read
No caveat(s) needed
Today, as I sat on a bench in the backyard, I was overcome with gratitude. I admired a happy Noodle, a beautiful sky, plants in bloom,...
Jun 1, 20222 min read
Surreal
Over the past three years, I've sat down to write many posts that seemed surreal — events that felt as though they were taking place on...
May 24, 20224 min read
Let donations ring!
This photograph may look like your average 36-year-old man eating a red, white, and blue popsicle, but there's much more. At the time,...
May 19, 20221 min read
![My [current] best](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1338,h_1000,fp_0.50_0.50,q_30,blur_30,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg)
![My [current] best](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1140,h_852,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg)
My [current] best
I went to a spin class two weeks ago. It was hard. I used to go regularly, but that was more than a decade ago. On top of that, I was...
May 13, 20223 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
Breathe in gratitude
Today is one of the tougher grief milestones because it marks two years since Ramón's cardiac arrest. My hope for today is that I can...
Apr 19, 20224 min read
Profess yo'self
Semester. There was a time I used that word frequently, but it faded into oblivion until the past several months. Before you think I’m...
Apr 6, 20223 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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