From Fear to Fighter - Brandi Lewis

I never knew what being a caregiver meant until I unexpectedly had to have them in my own life. To use a metaphor of a video game to describe it, imagine that you…

When I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), one of my main questions was, how do we cure my blood disorders? In the beginning, I thought I…

I recall hearing people being asked the question “How did you become successful?” Many of the answers were a version of “Work hard now and sleep later.” I used to live by that code.

Being diagnosed with an illness can result in a plethora of emotions. We may feel vulnerable, hurt, confused, sad, raw, or scared. With tensions high, it can be hard to protect our mental…

The other day, as I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, I began to pay attention to my scars. They’ve been on my body for so long that they’ve become a part…

I answered the doctor’s call with, “Hello, this is Brandi.” On the other end, my doctor paused and then delivered the news: “Your results came back, and they are positive for paroxysmal…

When asked how I’m feeling, I often force a smile, nod my head, and say, “Good! How are you?” But what I truly want to say is, “PNH is kicking my butt! I am…

Working as a healthy person is hard, but add a chronic illness to your 9-to-5 job, and it becomes even tougher. I have worked in corporate America for seven years. Throughout my career, I’ve…

“Why me?” This is the question many patients ask themselves after being diagnosed with an illness. My first “why me?” moment occurred in 2009 at age 19. Between living in sorority dorms, studying in…