disability – Zoopolis

review: Crow Planet

(Being a review of an entire book in which the author spends the whole thing watching, taking care of, interacting with, and loving a young disabled crow, also clearly loved by its parents and loving its life in turn, and in which the author ends the book with exactly the same amount and degree ofContinue reading “review: Crow Planet”

the joys of medical experimentation

Every post about the surgeries themselves that I’ve tried to write starts turning into a book. But I want to write something about them, since it’s the only time this kind of surgery has been performed on someone with Saul-Wilson syndrome, and I want a patient’s (or caregiver’s) perspective to be available somewhere for othersContinue reading “the joys of medical experimentation”

fun facts about hospital stays in the time of covid-19

Visitors don’t really exist. In the hospital Echo was at, most patients were allowed one visitor for one visit for their entire stay. That was it. For most of the patients, this was fine; they were cognitively fully functional and were, physically, ok on their own for relatively short 1-2 day stays. For one ofContinue reading “fun facts about hospital stays in the time of covid-19”

Happy Old Year’s End

New Year’s Eve has a whole other flavour this year, doesn’t it? Less “Hurray! Let’s celebrate the start of another year!” and more “Is it dead yet? Are we sure? Should we set the corpse on fire to be on the safe side?” I’m drafting this in November–already looking forward, yes, but also anticipating thatContinue reading “Happy Old Year’s End”

organizational culture is toxic

I know! Months between posts, and then two in one week. This isn’t a new thought, but it’s one that keeps coming to me, and I’m curious to hear what you think: Organizational culture is toxic. It fosters us-vs-them thinking. The loyalty it creates among members makes it hard to, for instance, speak out againstContinue reading “organizational culture is toxic”

Stitches

First, I’d like to say: I know all of the approved ways of managing stress and anxiety. I know you’re supposed to move, ok? Exercise! I know. I know about healthy eating and getting enough sleep, connecting with loved ones, spending time in nature. As it turns out, when you’re in the middle of aContinue reading “Stitches”