brain injury | Drew Dotson

My grief shoes

Flat feet and hospital floors don’t mesh. When I moved into the hospital after Ramón’s cardiac arrest in spring of 2020, my flat feet...

Apr 7, 20232 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

Open doors

One day last June while I was staying in the hospital with Ramón, I decided to watch the video of his swearing in ceremony. Since he was...

Jun 3, 20211 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 +100: Now we're here

Holy Day +100 since Ramón’s transplant! Exactly 100 days ago, on April 10, Ramón received his stem cell transplant. From 11:25 a.m. to...

Jul 19, 20204 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 +76: Mashed potatoes

This morning, day +76, while walking the dogs, my mom turned to me and asked, “Did I tell you about the dream where I was feeding Ramón...

Jun 25, 20203 min read

Day +67: Smoother waters

It’s day +67 since Ramón’s transplant. Given that the first 100 days are critical, it’s relieving to know we’re two-thirds of the way...

Jun 16, 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

Day +46: Life is hard.

The past several weeks have been, without a doubt, the most difficult time of my life. Each day, I have been hopeful that Ramón’s status...

May 26, 20203 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

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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