A Poor Epitaph: He Tried to Free His Neck
Barry Sutton Barry Sutton

A Poor Epitaph: He Tried to Free His Neck

There’s this very important point in the healing process that’s difficult to detect: it’s when the quest to get better becomes a test of one’s self-worth. “Am I the kind of person who can heal themselves, overcome this challenge, or is it true, as I have quietly believed, that I don’t have what it takes?”

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How I Ended My War with Pain
Leigha Miceli Leigha Miceli

How I Ended My War with Pain

Seven years ago, I developed a mysterious chronic pain in my upper body that had me unable to type, hold a piece of paper, and relegated to the cool wooden floor of my girlfriend’s apartment for hours a day.

I was 26, unable to work, and learning to dial a phone with my toes.

From my floor-bound perspective, I stared for hours at the ceiling fan, imagining where this health trajectory was heading. I, who could not open a tea wrapper, began to resolve myself to leave New York and be cared for by my parents.

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