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Me vs. Mind
My mind has always been my archnemesis. Right now we’re pretty civil, but that hasn’t always been the case. I remember sleepless...
Feb 10, 20233 min read
Give paws for thought
Meditation gets a bad rap sometimes. People view it as being too woo-woo or out there, shutting down at the mere mention of words like...
Jan 26, 20233 min read
A semiperturbed post about a jack-in-the-box
Let me start off by saying I wrote the first draft of this post yesterday afternoon. As I worked on what I’m sure would have been a very...
Jan 20, 20232 min read
A flight of imagination
I have a complicated relationship with airplanes. I was once headed to NYC for a work trip and had an awful asthma attack. I was gasping...
Nov 25, 20223 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
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
This is a shout-out to my grievers.
Where all my grievers at? Can I get a BOO-HOO? Just kidding. But if I were to craft a rap about grief, it would definitely start off like...
Apr 1, 20223 min read
Rewriting the story
After Ramón’s death a year ago, I set a goal to build my endurance until I could run for 60 minutes without stopping. I can’t recall why...
Jul 20, 20212 min read
Always a rainbow
When home between hospitalizations in late March, I heard a song that resonated with me. As my anxiety about COVID-19 and transplant...
Sep 3, 20203 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
Day +79: inTENSE
I awoke this morning with a joyous heart, knowing that Ramón is waking up in a regular hospital room; he escaped the ICU! He required...
Jun 28, 20202 min read
Day +57: Breathtaking sunset
Saturday into Sunday has become my toughest time of the week. It makes me reflect on "the night" when Ramón was feeling indescribably...
Jun 6, 20201 min read
Raise a ______ for Ramón
Happy almost birthday to this guy! It's the night before Ramón's birthday, which means it's also the eve of the one-year mark since his...
May 6, 20201 min read
Day +9: Cloud not-so-nine
Today has been, by far, the scariest day of my life. This morning, at about 5:25, Ramón lost his airway, most likely due to swelling...
Apr 19, 20202 min read
Days +0 to +4
Day +0: A cup of hope April 10, 2020 Thank you for all the ways you've been #RootingforRamon! The transplant went off without a hitch,...
Apr 14, 20204 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
Day 300
We made it to day 300! Sometimes it’s still hard for me to believe Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia last May. It’s even more difficult...
Mar 1, 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
Putting the dent in Presidents Day
Yesterday started off like your typical day: Ramón and I were evaluating which of our dogs would have the most success on American Ninja...
Feb 18, 20203 min read
Run Ramón run
A few weeks before Ramón was diagnosed with cancer, he participated in a relay race with a group of friends. The term “relay race” sounds...
Jan 25, 20202 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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