Episodes

When you grow up learning who doesn’t show up, you start measuring love in smaller, sharper ways—like footsteps on a porch, a hand on your forehead at the school nurse’s office, or the kind of laughter that keeps you upright ...

Some people collect souvenirs when they travel. I collect medical printouts. One routine cardiology visit handed me a neat little report, the kind that looks boring until you realize it’s basically a receipt for a moment your...

A new study claims low vitamin D may drive inflammation—but if you live with sarcoidosis , the story gets more complicated. Before reaching for supplements, there’s something important many headlines leave out. Send A Text To...

We remember diagnoses, heartbreaks, and miracles—but what about the quiet days that carry us between them? Living with sarcoidosis has made me realize the most important parts of life might be the ones our memory quietly skip...

Welcome to nother bonus episode of short stories from my now closed podcast, "Pan to Pen." Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. To respond to this episode, use the text link in the episode notes, or…

A simple story about a pillow full of feathers has been told for centuries by rabbis, monks, and priests. I heard it once on the radio and it stuck with me—especially as someone living with sarcoidosis, where words from docto...

Sometimes sarcoidosis whispers instead of shouts. Someone can appear perfectly healthy, living their life, planning tomorrow… while something dangerous quietly hides in the heart. This episode reflects on a recent tragedy, a ...

This bonus short story is from my now closed podcast, "Pan to Pen: A Storytelling Podcast." Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. To respond to this episode, use the text link in the episode notes, o…

I read a lot of chronic illness blogs—part coping strategy, part writerly snooping—and I keep running into the same pattern: the urge to turn suffering into a spiritual trophy. Living with sarcoidosis has taught me faith can ...

You think Covid was just a bad flu and “done with”? Let me tell you why that belief didn’t exactly age well — especially if you’re someone living with sarcoidosis or any chronic illness where every breath matters. I’ll get pe...

A Bonus story episode from my now closed podcast, "Pan To Pen: A Storytelling Podcast." Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. To respond to this episode, use the text link in the episode notes, or se…

Ever notice how sarcoidosis doesn’t just come for your lungs (or your heart, if it’s feeling ambitious)—it comes for your calendar, your energy, and your bank account too? This is the story of what “good insurance” looks like...

When you’re a writer with chronic illness juggling deadlines, the last thing you expect is your editor ghosting you mid-contract. This cautionary tale dives into how one “faith-filled” editor turned out to be a crook—and what...

This is a bonus episode. A Story from my now closed "Pan to Pen: A Storytelling Podcast" Send A Text To Tate Support the show This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. To respond to this episode, use the text link in the episode notes, or s…

In 2007, a routine heart procedure turned into a life-changing diagnosis: heart failure. Nineteen years later, I’m still here—living with sarcoidosis, a defibrillator in my chest, and the constant awareness that my next heart...

Living with sarcoidosis taught me a weird truth: the harder you work to keep your life normal, the more the system charges you for it. Portable oxygen was supposed to mean freedom—walks, errands, road trips, maybe even a litt...

Ever wondered what happens when an 18-year-old bank manager gets peer-pressured into a “mandatory meeting” that turns out to be rum shots and card games? Here’s the messy, hilarious, and surprisingly life-defining story of my...

Living with sarcoidosis and an ICD means my chest has a tiny, judgmental hall monitor clocking my heart 24/7—so I’m fascinated (and slightly alarmed) by how many of us still choose to spend our limited energy angrily shaking ...

As a chef, writer, and lifelong bookworm living with chronic illness, I’ve discovered that my Kindle isn’t just a gadget—it’s freedom. Between hospital visits, late-night writing sessions, and lazy Sundays with my pets, it le...

If you’ve ever tried to recreate a TV chef’s “simple” dinner and ended up wondering if you accidentally auditioned for a survival show, you’re not alone. As someone juggling sarcoidosis, heart failure, and a full-time chef li...

In a world obsessed with celebrity net worths and Instagram wealth, it’s easy to forget that our true value isn’t tied to money but to character, compassion, and integrity. As someone living with chronic illness, I’ve learned...

When religion divides families, sometimes the kindest thing you can do is stop trying to fix what faith has fractured. As a chef living with chronic illness and a full plate of chaos, I’ve learned that peace is sacred—and you...

I saw a guy land a ridiculous roller-skating trick in a beach town and my brain immediately volunteered my body for a stunt it absolutely did not agree to. Living with sarcoidosis has taught me that nostalgia can be sweet, sa...

Ever had someone snatch your phone while you were just trying to show them a picture? Twice in one day, it hit me how much of my entire life—accounts, passwords, memories, even my brain power—now lives inside this little iPho...