My stepfather’s hospice pain management relies heavily on The State of Washington’s finest medical marijuana. For him, a scheduled combination of of 2-to-1 CBD/THC combined with partial doses of oxy, provides relief. I also take CBD (with low to no THC) for iterant issues — no negative side effects, no…

My stepfather in home hospice care, reading things on his computer during our morning tea: “You know how they do these face transplants? Maybe I should donate my face.” Me, knowing I have to keep things on the lighter side, because tears have become ubiquitous: “You don’t have the lip…

When I was a developing toddler, I had to wear “Forrest Gump” leg braces. Weighty and cumbersome, they looked a bit like a torture device. I swear I can still smell the steel and the mildewy leather of the shoes. One day, my mother was either instructed or felt I…

One day when I was 8 ½ years old and in 3rd grade, I stayed home alone from school. We lived in a somewhat safe, middle-class suburb of Houston. I was a latchkey kid. Peeps had to work, there were no nannies, so it was the way it was. …