Hawk’s-Eye View — Hawken Miller

Transitions are a part of life. We go through puberty as teenagers and our bodies change. We move out of our parents’ place to go to college or start a new job. We get older, some of us have kids, and our perspectives change. When…

On April 1, I started full time at Bionews, the publisher of Muscular Dystrophy News Today, writing feature stories about the rare disease community. Since I first started writing articles in December 2019, my work has ranged from interviews with advocates, CEOs, and…

I sometimes like to imagine a life in which I don’t have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle-weakening disease. No boundaries would hold me in. I could travel anywhere I want and write an unlimited number of stories. This is an…

This is the dirtiest column I have ever written because it’s about poop. And whether you love it or hate it, it’s an especially relevant topic to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community. Sitting in a wheelchair for long periods and experiencing overall muscle weakness can…

Kriki Cragwalker, a redheaded dwarf from the mountain city of Jagarz Dauk, grasps her enchanted, two-handed greataxe and is circled by a host of ancient green spirits with allegiance to the god Jani. She charges forward toward a horrified hobgoblin.  Flanked…

If you are familiar with the disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy, it’s easy to tell if someone has it. Enlarged calves, a waddling gait, the use of a wheelchair, and in some cases, a puffy face due to steroid use are all visual cues…

On Feb. 19, I received my second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. According to the nurse who gave me the injection and clinical trial results from the biotech company, the vaccine is about 95% effective against COVID-19 within seven to 14 days, a period that ended for…

Rare Disease Day, a global push for rare disease awareness, is less than a week away, on Feb. 28. As someone with a rare disease myself, I’ve heard the word “rare” quite a bit in my life. It’s a beautiful rallying cry…

In the last year, it’s been easy for me to coop myself up in my room and spend the entire day without stepping outside once. I’m either afraid of getting COVID-19 or I get caught up with work, and by the time I…

I’m a self-described gamer, and proud of it, but lately I’ve realized I’ve probably been playing too much. Two weeks ago, during online church services, we talked about fasting, including from things beyond food, such as social media and TV. That raised the question with me of why not trying…

Since my internship at The Washington Post, I’ve done freelance work at outlets ranging from The Forward, a Jewish-focused website, to Dot Esports, and of course, Bionews, the publisher of Muscular Dystrophy News. In the past year and a half, I’ve realized that working for…

Christmas is upon us, and for many, it might not even feel like the holiday season at all. We’ve been forced to stay away from family, our finances are tight, and uncertainty lingers about how 2021 will unfold. For me, being cooped up…