This is my 48th column since I began this providential opportunity as a writer at Amyloidosis News Today. To be given the platform to…
Sunrise Sunset — Jaime Christmas
Jaime Christmas is a patient advocate and columnist based in Auckland, New Zealand, with her cheeky doggie, Akira. She was a caregiver to a spouse who was afflicted with hATTR amyloidosis. Now she fights for equitable treatment and support for diagnosed patients and their caregivers. Although she now lives without the daily challenges of being a caregiver since her husband’s passing in 2022, she hopes to be still an encourager and listening ear to those presently walking the journey she knows only too well.
As an advocate for the New Zealand Amyloidosis Patients Association since 2019, I am acutely aware that when there is no center of excellence or coordinated care structure in a country, it compounds the already heavy burden on diagnosed individuals, particularly older couples trying to navigate this devastating disease. Even…

HATTR-PN
ColumnsI’ve Experienced 3 Phases of Caregiving
Life experience plays an integral role in shaping our behavior and thinking. I have come a long way from being an unsettled 18-year-old to a…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsEven Before the Pandemic, We Knew Social Distancing and Isolation
New Zealand was largely able to avoid the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, until now. The contagious nature of the delta variant and the high…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsCooking Videos Are Helping My Husband Beat His Food Aversion
My husband, Aubrey, has begun watching cooking videos on YouTube to overcome an aversion to food and eating. We are both from Malaysia, where f…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsThe Importance of Making Memories and Spending Time With My Husband
As we enter the second half of October, I’m not quite sure how the end of the year has arrived so quickly. Time flies while…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsSearching for Activities to Do With a Sick Loved One
To all my fellow caregivers, I want you to know that I understand what you are going through, and I am cheering you on. After…
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ColumnsWhy It May Be Beneficial to Talk With Loved Ones About Death
I lost my mother in May. Even as I type those words, I have not fully come to terms with it, as I have yet…
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ColumnsTo Learn About hATTR Amyloidosis, Turn to Those With Experience
If you are a longtime caregiver for a loved one with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, you are probably knowledgeable about the condition. My name is…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsStaying the Caregiving Course Using Humor
I look for humor in every situation. Humor can be lifesaving in times of despair. U.S. Congregational minister Henry Ward Beecher said, “A person…
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ColumnsHow Caregivers Can Cultivate Endurance and Find Purpose
The 3rd European ATTR Amyloidosis Meeting for Patients and Doctors was held virtually on Sept. 6-8. Because the New Zealand Amyloidosis Patients Association,…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsHow Labels Can Influence Our Actions
My husband and I were married on March 15, 1995. Looking back at these 26 years, I can see the gray and black stain of…
HATTR-PN
ColumnsCaring for Yourself as a Caregiver
The melodic chirping of birds outside the window is louder this morning. This is because Auckland, the city in New Zealand where I live with…
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