THE WASHINGTON POST - VOICES

THE WASHINGTON POST - VOICES

Ongoing collaboration with The Washington Post's Voices column, featuring stories of personal health journeys and challenges.

AD Elizabeth Von Oehsen

April 2024 - Present

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Prints of these artworks are available in my online shop

I am 16 and have a stutter. Here's what most people don't understand

When someone is stuttering, you might feel like avoiding eye contact or saying words for them to move the conversation along. Don’t do those things.

Nov 2024

I’m in my early 20s. Why do I have breast cancer?

I don’t have a family history of the disease. For young patients like me, it’s hard to wrap our minds around the randomness of it all.

April 2024

As a doctor, here’s what I have learned from my own Alzheimer’s disease

I suddenly wore two hats — that of a retired physician who had cared for people with Alzheimer’s disease and now a person living with the same disorder

Dec 2024

At 102, my grandfather's memory is fading. Coffee keeps us connected.

On my last visit to Taiwan, I planned our time together around his coffee breaks, when he was the most alert.

May 2024

Migraine shame is real. My pain is not ‘just’ a headache.

My migraine attacks are chronic and cause me debilitating pain. Why am I so embarrassed to tell people about them?

May 2024

I’m fat. Here’s why I’m not taking a weight loss drug

For people like me, who have struggled for years with accepting our large bodies, the worship of the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs has been disheartening.

Aug 2024