Sunrise Sunset — Jaime Christmas

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 number of cases have placed many people on edge here in Auckland, where my husband, Aubrey, and I reside. Aubrey is a patient with…

My husband, Aubrey, has begun watching cooking videos on YouTube to overcome an aversion to food and eating. We are both from Malaysia, where food and eating are central to everything. Food is such a big part of life there that when we greet others, we don’t ask them…

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 caregiving. I care for my husband, Aubrey, who has hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. Though he was diagnosed in 2013, his disease onset occurred much earlier.

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 eight years on this journey with my husband, Aubrey, it’s still challenging to come to terms with changes in his health. Since his diagnosis of…

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 to receive closure. She passed away in Malaysia while I was thousands of miles away in New Zealand. COVID-19 travel restrictions had prevented me…

If you are a longtime caregiver for a loved one with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, you are probably knowledgeable about the condition. My name is Jaime, and I have been a caregiver to my husband, Aubrey, who has been afflicted with the disease for about 10 years. Although Aubrey wasn’t…

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 without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” As a caregiver to a husband…

The 3rd European ATTR Amyloidosis Meeting for Patients and Doctors was held virtually on Sept. 6-8. Because the New Zealand Amyloidosis Patients Association, which I lead, is associated with the Amyloidosis Alliance, we were invited to participate in this global, online event. If not for COVID-19 travel restrictions,…

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 trials. However, our marriage has been filled mainly with a tapestry of beautiful colors. We have four exceptional children and live in beautiful New Zealand.

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 my husband and our four children, returned to Alert Level 4, meaning lockdown, on Aug. 17 at 11:59 p.m. The coronavirus delta variant…

It is interesting how human emotions can fluctuate like the ebb and flow of the tide. I am usually upbeat and composed, but at the drop of a hat, I also can become upset and intolerant. I liken emotions to the weather. At times, we can predict the conditions and…

Those of us who are caregivers have many of the same underlying goals. But while we all care for our ill loved ones, our approach to caring can vary. Some of these differences may be due to cultural practices. I grew up in Malaysia as the eldest of…