May 43 minHey Hollywood – Scars Don’t Make You EvilAt the end of a weary work week, I sprawled on the couch ready to watch a movie. I wanted to be entertained by someone else’s problems...
Dec 8, 20215 minA Tough Fall(Part 5 in the series Choosing More Surgery) I spoke to a psychic two weeks before my recent operations. The psychic is a friend, an...
Oct 27, 20216 minSomewhere Over My Rainbow(s)(Part 4 in the series Choosing More Surgery) I have always loved “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I identify with Dorothy in The Wizard of...
Oct 13, 20214 minWhy Me? Why Not Me? (This is Part 3 in the series "Choosing More Surgery." See here for Part 1 and here for Part 2) “How are you doing today?” asked my...
Sep 29, 20214 minI Hate Walter: Choosing more surgery (Part II)(For Part I of this series, click here) “You need to make friends with it,” advised my surgeon. She smiled at me, her long straight...
Jul 9, 20215 minChoosing More Surgery (Option 2)“Your test results were negative.” This call was welcome news from my doctor, but also surprising. I had seen Dr. Jones (not his real...
Mar 12, 20214 min5 Things to Say to a Scarred Person (and 1 Thing Not to Say)A year ago, I sat eating lunch with my new friend, Betsy. We met when our kids performed in high school theater together. We both...
Jan 15, 20215 minA Tale of Two Siblings(Note: This post was republished with permission from tinybuddha.com. You can find the original post here: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/be...
Oct 7, 20204 minWhy the Burned Girl Wears Short Sleeves “I heard some other girls talking about her. They said, ‘Why does she wear short sleeve shirts when she is scarred like that? I felt bad."
Aug 21, 20204 minTruth and DareTension burns a different fire inside me now. I need to speak the truth for me and for my brother. I survived my childhood; he did not.
Aug 7, 20205 minOn Marshmallows and PandemicsWe are all learning a lesson in the value of delaying gratification in this year of COVID. This ability could save all our lives.
Feb 28, 20204 minThe Skiing SurgeonsWhen you think of a surgeon, what comes to mind? A man striding in his white coat, barking imperiously, staff trailing behind? A...
Jan 3, 20204 minThe Phantom, Darth Vader, and MeTime and time again, the villain winds up being burned. Doug and I grin at each other and hoot, “Just another maladjusted burn victim!"
Oct 11, 20195 minA Whole New (Burn) WorldI spent three days at my own personal Disney Land last week. In truth, I stayed just two miles away from the actual Disney Land, but I...
Sep 20, 20193 minIt's Not that Easy Being BurnedI write today wrapped in old clothes I don’t care about, so the bleeding won’t matter. Half of my body shines luminous scarlet, as my...
Apr 27, 20193 minMy Burns and the Magical LaserI am hunkering down at home for a week. I wear sloppy clothes that I don’t mind staining with blood. First I am in pain, then I itch,...
Mar 24, 20193 min"Burn Baby Burn!"I walked alone down the high school hallway, heading toward my locker. I was a new kid, with no friends. I wore an Indian-print...