Elegance, beauty, confidence, and rhythm: these are some words used to describe a female Latin dancer. Chemistry, passion, sensuality: these often come to mind when describing or watching a Latin dance couple. Each genre of dance comes with its own culture. Dance shoes, music and certain beats accompany each genre and of course, that exists within bachata, a form of dance I love to practice. Nationally and internationally, people congregate to study, perform and/or socially dance the bachata together and there is absolutely nothing quite like it! Being a bachatera (a female bachata dancer), and 50% of a bachata dance partnership with my husband Marcos, I am fortunate to experience…
- advocacy, autoimmune disease, Colorectal Surgery, Crohn's, Dating & Relationships, Gastroparesis, invisible illness, living with IBD, Minority Health, National Minority Health Month, Ostomy, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
- autoimmune disease, Black Lives Matter, Caregiving, Coronavirus, Crohn's, Dating & Relationships, J-Pouch, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health
Taryn’s Journey: Navigating Relationships and IBD During the Pandemic
“I think I might be at the start of a partial obstruction. What do I do?” The words I shared with my husband in late March 2020 weren’t rhetorical. It was more like I dropped a mini bomb into an already stressful situation. Even though I’ve had a series of partial bowel obstructions over the years, this time felt different. We were at the beginning of the pandemic. At a time when merely stepping outside seemed dangerous, a trip to the ER felt terrifying. In that moment, I was asking for much more than just advice. I wanted – no, needed – reassurance that regardless of what was happening with…
- autoimmune disease, awareness, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crohn's, immunocompromised, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ostomy, Ulcerative Colitis, Vaccinations
Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine as a Patient with Several Autoimmune Conditions
I recently received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine! Many folks have been asking about my stance on it and what my experiences with it have been. First of all, I want to be clear – in line with the guidance shared by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, I am without any doubt a supporter of vaccination against COVID especially as a student of public health who has learned about the immense significance of vaccines in curbing pandemics. I believe this pandemic has taken far too many lives (~500K just in the U.S.) and I think that the potential for overarching complications of contracting…