Patient Advocate & Coach – Amatuer Triathlete – Financial Adviser – Productivity Enthusiast
Recently I had three friends reach out to me at the same time for help. A friend of theirs went through hell and back due to a major surgical complication, and they thought of me. I wonder why? I have no experience when it comes to surgery. I kid I kid. In fact, I'd call… Continue reading Why Helping Others Is The Best Drug For Chronic Illness
“Go to the doctor” is what my wife tells me to do every single time I get a cold, allergy attack, or anything mild, and while I would love to tell her she’s right like all women are, the fact is…well, she is right. Recently I had a cold/allergy attack which lingered in my lungs… Continue reading Guys Need To Be More Proactive Managing Their Chronic Illness – 2.5 Minute Read
A few weeks ago, my cousin, Josh, said to me, “It’s so cool that you are open and have fun with your illness. Not many guys are like that,” and while I appreciated this comment in many ways, it also made me think about how opening up about my illness has improved my life in… Continue reading Why More Men Need To Advocate For Chronic Illness – 3 Minute Read
Recently I posted a poll on my Instagram with a variety of topics to my followers. The winner was “Working out with chronic illness,” and even though I am an IRONMAN, I’m not in an excellent place health wise right now. For this reason, I wanted to talk about something EXTREMELY important, the BASICS. Living… Continue reading Back To The Basics – Being Active With Chronic Illness (3 Minute Read)
We all have days that don't go as planned. Our bodies or minds don't cooperate which makes is hard to stay on top of the tasks at hand. I've always found that following a pattern and using the resources around me allowed me to sometimes still make some sort of progress even on the bad… Continue reading Tools That I Use To Manage My Chronic Illness – 4 Minute Read
If you know me or have followed any part of my journey you probably know I am an optimist. I've always felt like the glass being half full is the better option when taking on the challenges of living with a chronic illness. We have so much negative around us at times that it just… Continue reading Fearing What Is Ahead With Chronic Illness
Over the last few months, life has not been easy for me, and it is starting to wear on me. Between my Crohn's disease is in a minor flare, my asthma making it hard to breathe daily, my arthritis causing all my joints and bones hurt, and a back injury which I am trying to… Continue reading Finding The Ability To Overcome Adversity With Chronic Illness
For years I have said that I am one of the luckiest guys in the world. Every day I wake up with worries and anxiety about what can potentially be ahead. With that being the case there is one thing I don't have to worry about, the network of supportive friends I have around me.… Continue reading A Network Of Amazing Friends Is Priceless (2.5 Minute Read)
Last night after I finished dinner, I was getting in some much-earned rest and relaxation after a long day of work. My brain was fried, and my body was exhausted. Then while sitting there, perfectly comfortable, and while this felt perfect, it was interrupted. My phone starts beeping and vibrating, so I reach down and… Continue reading Chronic Illness Job Hours – 24/7 (4 Minute Read)
For years I have been following Doctor Peter Higgins at the University of Michigan IBD Center. I’ve had the honor of meeting him a couple of times at various conferences for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ostomy related advocacy that I do. This year Dr. Higgins and his team invited me to take part in… Continue reading Patient To Patient Conferences Are The Best – University Of Michigan