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Life isn’t a race. My husband’s college degree reminded me why

Columns

My husband graduated with his bachelor’s degree this summer at the age of 56. We ordered a cake and celebrated with friends and family. He had earned his associate’s degree in accounting literally decades ago and had plans to continue his education, but life detoured him, as it likes to do. Then, a few years ago, his employer told him there would be no more promotions without earning his bachelor’s degree. It felt like an empty box on his resume that just needed to be checked. Not having that diploma became a persistent barrier. College is expensive and time-consuming. So ...

Dear Annie: My sudden boyfriend isn’t the right match

Columns

Dear Annie: I’m 22, working full time in the city, and recently started dating a guy I met through a mutual friend. We’ve only been seeing each other for about a month, and he really is a sweetheart. The problem is, the more I get to know him, the more I wonder whether we are simply in very different places in life. He is in his late 20s, lives at home and works part time as a delivery driver while waiting to start a city job sometime next year. I understand that people go through transitional periods, but from what I gather, he was unemployed for about a year before taking this ...

Severe flooding raises deadly overdose risk in rural Appalachia, study finds – and the harm lasts for years

Columns

When she went to sleep on July 27, 2022, McKayla wasn’t worried about the storm that was raging outside her trailer in southeastern Kentucky. Intense storms came frequently in summer. While the creek in front of her home would often rise, water never came close enough to be a concern. But at 6:30 the next morning, one of her children rushed into her room panicked. McKayla ran to the window to see their neighbors’ belongings floating by. “I started waking the kids up,” she recalled. “But by that point, there was absolutely no way we could have got out. From 6:40 to 7:10, the ...

Frequent MRIs and cancer surveillance cause patient anxiety

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m writing to seek your perspective on a diagnosis that has caused me significant anxiety. A recent incidental finding on an MRI, followed by an endoscopic ultrasound, revealed a cluster of several small cysts (3-7 mm) in my pancreas. They’re suspected to be branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs). My main pancreatic duct is mildly enlarged. My doctors have recommended an MRI/MRCP with and without contrast in six months, followed by ongoing monitoring every six months to two years. I’ve been told that IPMNs are precancerous but usually ...

Everyone is campaigning on ‘affordability’ that no one can deliver

Columns

Remember “affordability” mania? The time was 2025. A young, charismatic democratic socialist candidate for New York City mayor named Zohran Mamdani became a viral sensation. His secret? “Affordability.” Ask him about almost anything and he’d turn the conversation to affordability. When a reporter asked Mamdani to respond to President Trump’s claim that he was the better-looking politician, Mamdani responded, “My focus is on the cost-of-living crisis, bro.” Queried about whether Hamas, the terrorist organization, should disarm, he began with “I believe that any ...

Dear Annie: The old ways don’t need to change

Columns

Dear Annie: I know I am stuck in the “old ways,” but I am trying to adapt to changing times. It is becoming very common for couples to live together before marriage. While I have come to accept traditional and extravagant weddings as an occasion to finally declare their commitment before church and family, what I still struggle with are the bridal showers. This tradition is to gift the bride (and groom) with the necessities to set up their home as they begin their married life together. Many couples now have lived together for years in a furnished home. I doubt they are living ...