COVID-19 and People in Pain

I wanted to share an article that I recently wrote for The Pandemic Lens. It is a curated venue where selected photographers, painters, writers, and other artists can present works that express their reactions to the pandemic. I was honored to be asked to participate. This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on…

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2020 Football Season Begins During a Pandemic

Football Season 2020

The 2020 football season has begun. There have been changes, including daily testing and limiting who can enter the teams’ facilities. Many referees will wear masks, and locker rooms have been restructured to discourage the spread of the virus. So the game will continue.

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How to Say Goodbye

How to Say Goodbye

COVID-19 has forced me to think about the reality that death can catch any of us by surprise. As I write this, we are in the midst of a pandemic that has infected more than 17 million people and taken more than 680,000 lives worldwide. Many of the COVID-19 victims died alone and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones.

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What to Do If You Lose Your Health Insurance

healthcare emergency

Before COVID-19 emerged, more than 27 million Americans lacked health insurance. The uninsured population mostly lived in low-income households where at least one person was working, and almost half of those who were uninsured cited the high cost of coverage as the reason. They may have been eligible for assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”), but they may not have known that.

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Memorial Day: A Tribute to My Father

Webster Family Grave on Memorial Day

This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 30, 2020.   When I was a little boy, we planted roses, geraniums, chrysanthemums, and tulips at the graveside of my grandparents every Memorial Day. In the beginning, we only had my maternal grandfather’s and paternal grandmother’s graves to decorate.…

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When Is Healthcare Noble?

when is healthcare noble

What is it about certain medical conditions that results in unprecedented concern, a willingness to muster all resources, and an outpouring of  selflessness from practitioners and the public alike? Why are healthcare professionals willing to risk their lives for coronavirus patients, but not their reputations to treat chronic pain?

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