spinal muscular atrophy

Spinraza, Turkey Burgers And The Voices In My Head

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I had my 2nd injection of Spinraza earlier this week, so I’m pleased to report that I’m now worth a cumulative quarter million dollars. The little cells and neurons in my spinal fluid are so high-class that I fear that soon they’ll be too cool to spend time with me anymore. What if they forget their humble origins and do something snobbish— like adopt a British accent or befriend a Kardashian?!

The second injection was a little more painful than the first. Getting a needle through the labyrinth of my spine is no easy task— I’ve got metal rods in there to help with my scoliosis, some bony fusions and twisty vertebra. So, the doctor must slowly and carefully insert the needle, making microscopic adjustments and realignments as he/she goes. It’s like playing the classic board game Operation— one wrong move and the buzzer goes off. But, instead of a buzzer, they’ll hear me yell, “Argh! What the $&@#!“

So, yeah, it’s kinda fun.

But, the excellent neuroscience team hit the bulls-eye— even though it took a little longer than I would have liked. I lay on the table, on my left side, for over an hour as they worked their magic. I stared at the wall and tried to ignore the pain in my shoulder from maintaining the position they require for the injection. I tried thinking of things that would distract me— what food I’d order at the restaurant later on… why I seemed to be drooling so much on my hospital-issue pillow… and when would the pumpkin spice lattes finally return to Starbucks this autumn?

As I was approaching the end of my tether, I felt the tears slide in and I began to cry. Not the cute kind of crying, of course, but the wet, snuffly kind. The kind reserved for Hallmark commercials and cheesy movies like The Notebook and Rambo.

But, then, I heard a voice in my head… a teasing, yet urgent voice that was surprisingly insistent, “Come on now… NO PAIN, NO GAIN!” I recognized the booming voice instantly as my late uncle, John. It was comforting to hear his voice and it helped me push through that moment. I’m not a person that generally hears voices (I may have many other medical issues, but that ain’t one of them)… yet, that gravely, stubborn encouragement was just what I needed.

The end result makes all the pain and discomfort worth it, though. At the beginning of my journey, my neurologist told me that our goal was stabilization— to halt the progression of my Spinal Muscular Atrophy. That would be a victory. That would add years to my life. Any gains, even minuscule ones, would be icing on the metaphorical cake (if that cake cost $125,000 a slice).

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I began to see improvements very quickly after my first treatment. In the days since my second, I’ve felt tightening in the muscles of my back, legs and shoulders. I also managed to pick up a hefty turkey burger (something I couldn’t do easily before) and shove it in my mouth like a starving Chris Christie. I was so proud of myself. It didn’t seem to matter that I got meat juice and condiments all over myself— that wasn’t the point. The point is, I ate it without using a fork and a knife. I OWNED that turkey burger. That burger was my bitch. It was awesome. I bet Donald Trump felt the same way about Chris Christie during the election, too.

IMG_4299Anyway, soon I’ll be headed back to Stanford for Dose #3… stay tuned for more Spinraza fun!

xoxo

Two Weeks Later…

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It’s amazing how much can change in two weeks. Wars have been fought and won in a shorter span of time and, if you are a believer, than the entire world was created by the Almighty in a mere 7 days— including, Adam, Eve, snakes, assorted shrubberies, and the Fuji apples you can buy at Savemart for $1.29 a pound.

And if all that wasn’t enough excitement, I also made the front page of the estimable Patterson Irrigator newspaper― instead of my column’s usual spot on page 5, or 7. So, yeah, a lot can change very fast.

Two weeks ago, I had my first injection of Spinraza. (For those of you that haven’t been following my journey, you can read my past writings on this topic HERE.) It wasn’t long after that initial treatment that I first began to feel that magical little $125,000 serum at my work in my spinal fluid— like busy Oompa Loompas toiling at Willy Wonka’s factory over a steaming vat of marshmallow cream.

The night following the injection, I woke up at 2am absolutely starving— like I hadn’t eaten anything for days. If you know me at all, you’d know this is an impossibility. There are few things in this life I love more than food. And if I could think of what those things actually are, I would write them right here.

I spent the next 3 days basically eating everything that wasn’t nailed down— especially things with protein. I was like a mama grizzly bear that hadn’t seen food since she went into hibernation last December. A real grizzly― not the fake ones that Sarah Palin seems to find everywhere she goes.

To give you an example, after already consuming breakfast, lunch and three snacks, one afternoon around 4pm I got hungry again and began casting my eyes around my kitchen. My radar settled upon a pouch of cashew nuts on the counter. For a few minutes, I attempted to open the reusable zippered fastener on the pouch. But, I quickly grew impatient and annoyed when my not-strong-enough fingers couldn’t open the lip. Undeterred, I grabbed my purple Crayola kid scissors (the only kind that I can use without hurting myself) and proceeded to desecrate the thick pouch until I had wormed a two-inch hole into the plastic. As the soothing scent of roasted cashews wafted up to my nose, I knew that victory was at-hand. THE CASHEWS WERE MINE!

This inexplicable hunger, this rabid feeding frenzy, culminated in a fluttering feeling in the muscles of my neck, my upper arms and my right hand. I began to notice that things were just a touch easier to do. My Sonicare toothbrush felt lighter. I was typing faster on my computer. I was able to grab my water bottle just a bit more smoothly. My voice sounded stronger. My respiratory numbers were up. I could text jokes about Mr. Trump to my friends even more swiftly than I had two weeks ago.

Things were happening.

It’s difficult to fathom that the little vial of muscle juice was already working. But, while a great deal of things are “all in my head,” I guarantee than this definitely wasn’t. Just because I could convince 11-year-old me that Santa was real, despite all the evidence to the contrary, this doesn’t mean that I’m imagining that the Spinraza was already helping. While my imagination is incredibly well-honed, it’s not that good.

This week, I head back to Stanford for Dose #2. I never thought I’d be this excited to get another shot into my spine. Never. Just as I thought I’d never live to every meteorologist IN THE WORLD go apeshit over an upcoming solar eclipse.

Seriously, though, this hype is way too much— just like the Twilight movies. Once the solar eclipse is actually done, everyone is going to forget all about it… just like they forgot how they once found Robert Pattinson brooding and charming.

Anyway, please wish me luck for Dose #2.

Who knows what the next two weeks will bring?

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The Magic Little Bottle

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I never imagined that one tiny glass vial could ever consume so much of my time, my thoughts… my efforts. My quest for this magic little bottle—this miracle drug— has been months in the making. But, on a recent July day— a resplendent blue-skied morning— it finally happened.

Spinraza is now real.

For those of you that haven’t been following my journey, you can read my past writings on this topic HERE. But, if you’re one of those people that used Cliff Notes or Spark Notes in school and are actually too lazy to go and read these posts, here’s a recap…

Right before Christmas, the FDA approved the very first treatment for my rare genetic condition— Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This progressive neuromuscular disease is the #1 genetic killer of children under two years of age— but there’s a small segment of us that manage to survive into adulthood. There is no cure. Due to a missing gene on my 5th chromosome, I am not able to produce a vital protein for muscle growth and maintenance. Instead, I must rely on alternate genes in my DNA to produce this protein. But, these alternate genes aren’t very reliable or productive— just like dial-up internet, a really stoned teenager, or the entire US Congress.

This revolutionary new medication tweaks my alternate genes, allowing them to produce more protein than before— like when Peter Parker was bit by that weird spider that changed his DNA and turned him into superhero. Don’t worry, though, I won’t be climbing walls or spewing webs from my wrists like Spider-Man. This is a treatment, not a cure. But, gaining just a little strength would make a big difference in my life.

In all honesty, I never thought I’d live to see the day when there was a real treatment for my disability. Just like I never thought I’d live to see an orange-tinted, reality television star become President of the United States.

So, yeah, I guess anything can happen.

Since the FDA approval in December, I’ve been laboring to get this treatment, having to surmount many obstacles. For example, there were tests of all varieties— physical and pulmonary exams, blood tests, genetic screenings, a polygraph test, and a breathalyzer.

Okay, I might have made those last two up.

I also had to contend with the insurance hurdles to get this very-expensive medication covered. At $125,000 per injection, Spinraza is an orphan drug— which means that it is so incredibly specialized that only the few of us with SMA can actually use it. Drugs like these are years in the making, so if only a small number of people can use them, each dose has to be very pricey to recuperate the costs.

Last month, the excellent team at Stanford Neuroscience called that I had been given the “green light” to begin treatment. It was one of the happiest days of my life. Just like the first time I drank a pumpkin spice latte and the day I first got an iPhone.

So, this week, we headed over to Palo Alto for my first lumbar spinal injection of Spinraza. The sky was blue with promise and there was anticipation crackling in the air. It took over an hour for two doctors to carefully maneuver the tiny needle into my spinal fluid— dodging the complexities of my scoliosis (the side effect of my SMA) as they went. But, with the help of live x-ray guidance, they did it.

When the nurse brought out the magic little bottle of Spinraza, I felt tears of joy, not pain, rush into my eyes. And when she finished injecting the vial into my spinal fluid, she said, “Elizabette— it’s in.“

Even though I had gone through a lot to get to this moment, I knew in an instant that my journey was really just beginning.

So, stay tuned, folks.

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xoxo

(To follow my progress, please subscribe to my blog…)

That 70’s Show

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I’ve heard it said that fashion is cyclical. What was once in style is sure to become fashionable again— if you just wait long enough. While I’m not sure if that’s always the case, I think the cliché is more true than not.

I’ve noticed that over the last few years that the color palette of the 1970s seems to be creeping back in vogue. While I wasn’t alive during that decade, I’ve seen enough of my parents’ Technicolor photographs to verify this as accurate. You know those little square Kodak photos with rounded edges featuring your relatives with well-coiffed hair and bright floral outfits?

Yeah, those things.

I’ve been seeing lots of clothes and decor with those colors recently. And in places where, frankly, I’d prefer they weren’t. For example, a couple of years ago, I lamented a paint job that had been completed at my doctor’s office here in Patterson. When I told my doctor that the color of his building resembled the shade you’d find inside a baby’s diaper, he told me that he had no part in selecting that particular color palette. While this reassured me of his decision-making ability, that hasn’t stopped me from having to look at those colors each time I go for a flu shot.

I regret to say that this 1970s color invasion has claimed another victim. Today, I had a few errands, so I had to stop by the bank. I hadn’t been inside the bank in quite some time, so I was too busy saying hello to the nice ladies that work there to notice that the interior had undergone a redecoration. Once I was in line for the teller, I looked up and felt my nose instantly wrinkle in dislike.

My beloved bank had been painted a shade of yellow that, if seen in a toilet bowl, Dr. Oz warns us is a sure sign of dehydration.

I mulled on this revelation for a few minutes— looking around the walls as if expecting to feel differently about the color. Once it was my turn at the teller, I nearly asked her about it, but I stopped myself because I didn’t want to make the staff feel bad for having to work at a place that resembled a urinary tract infection.

However, since they are probably reading this column right now, it’s too late for me to worry about that at this point.

In conclusion, I’d like to add the following: I am not the most fashionable person. My sense of style is highly circumspect— just like my ability to walk, which is decidedly nonexistent. So, I’d take my fashion opinions with a hefty grain of salt— just as you would all the things that come out of Donald Trump’s mouth.

I’m sure these buildings and these 1970s colors are super chic— and I’m sure real, honest-to-goodness designers made the color choice. I’m also quite sure that many people must like them.

BIMG_4228ut, definitely not me.

My Christine

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Everyone has that one cool older cousin— the one that just makes you think, “Wow, she’s so rad! I want to grow to be just as cool as she is!” The kind of girl that listens to alternative rock or smooth jazz and wears giant clunky Doc Marten boots heavier than a WWII German Panzer tank.

But, this chick wasn’t so cool that she scoffed at the letters her little cousin wrote to her on bright pink Hello Kitty stationary. No, she wrote back diligently, even though, at the time, the little 12-year-old me was about as cultured and interesting as a really bad episode of Full House (The original one… with the damn Olsen Twins!)

But, it didn’t seem to matter to her. She loved me just the same.

That was my Christine.

Given the age difference between us (8 years), as I grew, so did our relationship. I stopped being the annoying little cousin that talked about Legos and glitter pens. I became a grown-up person that talked about grown-up things. Like why the hell did she think that a kalimotxo was preferable to a 7/7? And even before the ATV wreck that messed up her hand, why on Earth did her handwriting still have to be so awful?

We’d talk current events, books, and how to roast the perfect leg of lamb. We’d strategize ways to castrate our least-favorite politicians while gleefully eating our Aitas’ homemade tripota.

When my mom was diagnosed with the brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, she was there each step of the way until the end— hugging, and squeezing me, with a remarkable amount of restraint so that she wouldn’t crush my cripply ribs. If you knew Christine, you knew it was nearly impossible for her to hug with anything less than Superhuman strength. But, for me, she managed.

That was my Christine.

As we were both only children, we shared an extra-special bond. We understood the joys, and sometimes burdens, of such a thing, while relishing in the stories of our Aitas— which we told with great vigor and our very best Basque accents. We commiserated together when our parents wouldn’t let us dye our hair purple, but secretly rejoiced when Christine and her badass-self went out and got her lauburu tattoo.

On that September afternoon, 12-years-ago, when she called me to tell me that the pathology report had come back from her surgery, her voice was strong and steady, like a soldier ready for battle. “It’s malignant. Stage 4.” My heart stopped and then began to pound in a beat that nearly drowned out the sound of her next words… “It’s glioblastoma multiforme.“

I knew in that moment what her eventual fate would be. But, I waited to cry until we got off the phone. And I cried. And I cried. And I said a prayer, “Please let her live long enough to see her little boy become a young man. Let her fight it off until then.” And, the fucking lioness that she was, so she did.

Her loss is great, but the life she lived was even greater. She loved fully and deeply— and that gift lives on in all of us. I know there will come a day, very soon, when I’ll reach for my phone to tell her something, but she won’t be there. And my heart will break just a little, once more. But, I’ll hear her voice in my head, “Don’t be sad, caca. It’s going to be okay.“

That was my Christine.

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The Waiting Game

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I’m sure some of you may be wondering how my quest for Spinraza— the first treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)— is faring. Obtaining this treatment isn’t for the faint of heart, it takes will, perseverance and just a little desperation— like climbing Mt. Everest, running a marathon, or taking a job in the Trump Administration.

As I’ve documented here, I’ve been examined by several Stanford doctors, I’ve had DNA tests, and I was approved and prescribed Spinraza… two and a half months ago.

But, I’m still waiting to receive the treatment. If I was a female chipmunk, I could have already given birth to nearly three litters of babies in the amount of time I’ve already been waiting. That’s a lot of chipmunks.

Insurance companies around the country have a wide range of policies on Spinraza. While the FDA approved the medication for all ages and types of SMA, at $750,000 for the first year of injections, it is in the insurance companies’ financial interest to limit access to the treatment. So, they have come up with a wide variety of parameters that they are using to approve/deny payment for the drug. Some insurances say you have to be over 15 years old, other insurances say you have to have less than 3 copies of the SMN2 gene, while some say you have to have over two copies of SMN2. Odder still, some are saying that that they won’t pay for those who already use a wheelchair… or a ventilator… or have a last name that ends with “r.”

I have Medicare, so my insurance situation is even stranger. Medicare is requiring something called “Buy & Bill.” Administering hospitals must purchase Spinraza themselves and then Medicare, in theory, will reimburse it. However, under this current set-up, the financial responsibility/burden is on the hospital. And most hospitals are understandably hesitant to assume that risk because they know there is a chance that Medicare will not reimburse 100% of Spinraza’s cost.

Would you fork out nearly a million dollars for a medication if you weren’t sure you’d get paid back for it? Uhm, HELL no. And no one wants to be the bad guy that sends on that kind of bill to the poor cripples in the wheelchair. I may not be in marketing, but even I know that’s not good PR. So, because of this policy, those of us with Medicare are in limbo. We’ve got prescriptions, but no way to get the drug— it’s like having a ticket to the moon, only NASA is broke and all the space shuttles are in museums.

I’ve been told by folks at Biogen (the distributor of Spinraza), and at Stanford, that talks are happening behind the scenes to figure this out. But, as time goes by, all of us with SMA get weaker.

Being patient is difficult, especially for someone like me that doesn’t have a lot of patience from the start. After all, I can barely wait for a grilled cheese to come out of the pan before I take a bite. I hover over the stove like a drone— and I burn the roof of my mouth EVERY. DAMN. TIME. Who can wait for that melty cheesiness? I know I can’t. You’d think that the resulting soreness in my mouth would deter me from doing it again the next time, but I’m just not that smart.

I’m sure some of you reading this are aghast at the price tag associated with Spinraza— and are thinking that there is no need for the treatment to be that expensive. But, please don’t descend upon the makers of this drug with torches and pitchforks on my behalf.

A specialized medication of this caliber is years in the making. There are many costs that go into creating something like this. So, they need to recuperate what they have invested in it. Further, this isn’t a medication for diabetes or high cholesterol— only a very limited number of people can use Spinraza. So, each dose has to be expensive to make it worth their time. If there is no financial incentive to research rare conditions, like Spinal Muscular Atrophy, then no one would bother doing it. That’s a fact. Kindness and altruism doesn’t make the world go around— money does.

In the meantime, today I received this Spinraza welcome packet from Biogen in the mail. It’s a treatment organizer— like the planner I had in high school that I rarely used. This organizer also came with a decidedly cheap pen— emblazoned the Spinraza logo.

spinrazapicNo offense, Biogen, but it’s 2017. Who writes with an actual pen, anymore? And who carries a planner? No one.

And I’m going to be frank… Don’t be like Clark Griswold’s cheap boss that bought him that crappy gift in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. At $125,000 an injection, you could buy me an iPad, instead.

I’ll be waiting. You know where to find me.

Summer, Flip Flops, and Tony Danza

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Ugh. As I sit here typing this, the thermometer is registering 95°F. It’s barely May and only 4 days ago I still had flannel sheets on my bed. And now I’m sweating and my jeans are sticking to my ass. Why couldn’t the summer heat arrive gently? Like the slow bloom of a flower… or water dribbling down a clogged drain. Why, instead, does it have to be so blunt and nasty? Like a bull, or Steve Bannon, in a china shop?

I HATE SUMMER! There, I said it. I don’t like the heat, the sun, or even the clothes. I much prefer the styles of the cooler months— my cabinet full of scarves is a testament to that. Plus, I can’t wear most summer clothes, like shorts, because I sunburn in mere minutes. This isn’t dramatic hyperbole. One time I got a sunburned in the time it took to go from the front doors of the shopping mall to my handicapped parking space— which was IN THE FRONT. Yes, I really am that white.

Now that we’re on the subject of summer attire, I also don’t understand flip-flops. They seem unnatural and highly dangerous. Why would you want to walk around on something so unstable? It’s a shoe that’s barely attached to your body. You are one thin plastic strap away from disaster. It’s a good thing that I can’t walk, because if I had to wear flip-flops in the summer, it wouldn’t end well for me. First I’d get a bad sunburn on the top of my foot, then I’d fall and break my nose on the nearest object, like a ficus plant. It would be like an episode of The Three Stooges, only less funny and less Jewish.

If all that weren’t enough, the slapping sound flip-flops make is also decidedly unappealing. Do you intentionally want to sound like a walrus flapping their hands together? Because, I hate to be the one to say it, but you really do sound like that.

Anyway, thankfully I have air conditioning to help me during these trying times. It’s currently humming in a soothing way that reminds me of those noise-canceling machines that they used to sell at Bed, Bath & Beyond next to the display of soda-making kits that NO one ever buys. The same ones that have been on sale since 2005. If you are thinking of buying one, you might want to reconsider; I’m sure those flavored syrup pods expired back during the days when Bush Jr. lived in the White House.

Those were simpler times, though, weren’t they? We didn’t have a president with orange skin and hair… and Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston were still alive— so we could listen to their music without the sad pang of nostalgia. Those also were the days before the word taxi had been replaced by Uber. Before long the nerdy folks at Oxford will just drop that word from their dictionary entirely… and a hundred years from now little children won’t even know what a taxi is, let alone that it was yellow and usually driven by strange foreign men with accents— or Tony Danza.

IMG_3914It’s only May, though, so I better get used to this heat. If you need me, you can find me sitting in front of the fan, grumbling… and not wearing flip-flops.

Being Sick and Finding Superman

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The last few days I’ve been battling an infection of some kind— with a sore throat, cough and fatigue. Rest assured, I’m definitely on the mend now, though, thanks to a round of antibiotics, and my nebulizer and Cough Assist machines. Three cheers for respiratory gadgets!

Even though I’m an avid reader (I’ve been known to read 50 to 75 books a year), when I’m under the weather I actually don’t do much reading at all. Rather, I like to sit like a hacking, sniffling lump while I watch long movies. And when I say long, I mean really long movies. The kind of movies involving far away wars, people who sing, Nazis, nuns and, of course, Julie Andrews. If you haven’t gotten the hint that I’m talking about The Sound of Music, I’m not sure if we could ever be friends. I’m serious. That movie is the best movie of all time… I say that with utter certainty. If you dare to disagree me with me, I will run you over. This is not an empty threat.

Anyway, I love to watch this film when I’m sick. It’s long, too, which makes it an especially good choice for long afternoons of lazy, snuffly sickiness. Plus, if all that weren’t enough, Captain VonTrapp is super dreamy. When I was young and home sick from school, my mom used to pop the movie in the VCR. It would keep me occupied, and out of her hair, for at least 174 minutes. Any mother would tell you that this fact alone would make that VCR cassette tape worth its weight in gold. And, as soon as I was old enough to operate the VCR remote control, I would repeatedly rewind the tape to watch the marionette puppet scene over and over again. If you don’t know the scene I’m talking about, you haven’t seen this movie. And, if you haven’t seen this movie, well… you know what will happen to you next.

I think it’s safe to say that I have seen this movie over 50 times. This is not an exaggeration. It’s at the top of my list of Movies to Watch When I’m Sick. Other flicks on the list include: Mary Poppins, the Harry Potter movies, musicals written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and any film starring a Hepburn (either Audrey or Katharine).

This week, I needed to find a long movie to make this sickness pass faster. There was a free preview of HBO, so I checked out the guide on my television. I found Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice… which was an impressive 183 minutes long. This was doable. I’m not generally a fan of superhero movies, but I have a decided weakness for Henry Cavill— the hunk that plays Superman. So, it seemed like a good choice.

But, it wasn’t too far into the movie that I began to doubt the merit of my selection. Through the fog of antibiotics and decongestant, I watched car chases, tall buildings being felled, and two men wearing capes fighting each other. This last one had me nearly turning off the television. Batman and Superman are both good guys. Under no reasonable storyline would they be at odds. End of story. With a groggy voice, and no one around to hear me, I actually yelled at the TV (okay, maybe I squeaked), “WHO WROTE THIS MOVIE, ANYWAY? WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON? WHY AM I WATCHING THIS? HOLY SHIT, HENRY CAVILL IS HOT.”

Next time I’m sick, I’ll just stick to Julie Andrews.

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Shoes, Spiders and The Perks of Being Me

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While it may not seem like it from the outside, there are definite benefits to being me. There are the obvious ones— preferred parking spaces, event seating in the front (should the venue be equipped for it), and being able to get away with first-degree murder because no one will believe that the perky girl in the wheelchair could possibly poison anyone with arsenic.

Aside from these obvious benefits, there are the not-so-obvious ones, too. Like my shoe budget. I rarely have to buy new shoes because each pair I buy will last a ridiculously long time. This is what happens when you don’t go walking around in your shoes. While Nancy Sinatra may have sung “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” she clearly wasn’t talking about me. My boots are made for sitting in my wheelchair while I do things like try not to stain them with dribbled spaghetti sauce. (This is a serious concern. My wardrobe is more susceptible to food-spillage than actual wear-and-tear.)

I’m not ashamed to admit that I still have two pairs of shoes from the 8th grade. I am not kidding. As I know that fashion is cyclical, I’m just biding my time until 90’s chunky heels are all the rage again. If acid-washed jeans can make a comeback, so will my Payless black leather loafers.IMG_3794

If you don’t believe me, I’ve taken this picture of my shoe closet. The average age of a pair of shoes in this closet is 9.7 years.

Anyway, being me is not all sunshine and rainbows. It can be challenging when you get an itch you can’t reach or drop something on the floor and you have to wait for someone to pick it up. Patience becomes a daily practice, an endeavor. It’s not an obscure or unknowable concept — like what the hell is really going on with Trump’s hair.

Yesterday, I had such a challenge. While I was on the phone with my aunt, I felt something weird on my neck. Thinking it was just my hair tickling me, I ignored it. A few minutes later, I felt it again. I looked in the mirror and I saw a spider crawling around on my clavicle… like it owned the place.

To say I freaked out would be an understatement. I hate bugs with a deeper passion than I feel for anything else on this Earth. And that is saying a lot because I really hate manbuns.

Nearly dropping the phone, I went to my dad and shrieked, “THEREISASPIDERONMYNECK! GETITOFFNOW!” With exasperated amusement, he flicked off the spider and it smashed on the knee of my pant leg— leaving a stain on the jeans that would be a reminder for the rest of the day of my traumatizing experience.

In his accented voice, my dad then scoffed, “Bah, eet was juust a leetle bug.“

This was a total lie to try to make me feel better. But, I was the one that had it crawling around on my neck like a fucking Land Rover on safari. In my mind’s eye, heavily colored by my assorted anxieties, the spider was NOT little. And it never, ever will be.

I guess being me isn’t all fun and games…