Four years ago, I spent almost the entire month of April in the hospital. My youngest son, Jack, was diagnosed with something called a double aortic arch. I had no idea what that meant at the time.
The doctor gave me a scientifically solid, drawn out speech. He even included drawings. I still have his scribbles on a page in my journal — it was the only paper that was easily accessible to us in the private conference room where he debriefed me.
Still, the only words I understood were: “Your son needs immediate heart surgery.”
When I received this news, Jack was still knocked out from general anesthesia. Doctors had just threaded a scope down his throat to determine why he sounded like a truck motor. Me? I was reeling.
Breaking Down the Health Essay
It’s compelling, right? A baby’s life is in danger. A doctor is drawing pictures to describe why the child can’t survive without surgery. The stakes are high. Plus, health is a universal concern. Every human being has a health story – either about his/her own experience or a loved one’s.
It could be a life-altering disease or an acute issue that knocked you to your knees. It could be something simple, say an unsightly zit, or something complex like a rare medical condition with no clear diagnosis. No matter what the story, health-related or otherwise, essays tend to work best when you start with the action.
Open with a scene – the moment you learned you had cancer, the sunny day when you hung your head over the toilet with morning sickness, the instant your father took his last breath against a backdrop of beeping and whirring machines.
Craft a clear sensory experience. What did you see? Hear? Smell? How did you feel? Describe the sensation of your heart dropping to your gut when the doctor gave you the test results, the pungent odor of garlicky spaghetti sauce as your belly contents rebelled, the guttural death rattle you could hear even months after your dad died.
With health, the sensory experiences are especially poignant. They allow the reader to step into your shoes and live the experience with you.
An Opportunity for Service
Health issues are often best explored with a reported approach, rather than a straight narrative. Whether you’re undergoing your first colonoscopy or deciding how to birth your baby, getting insight from the experts can help bring your story to life and provide welcome service for readers who find themselves navigating similar terrain. That’s one reason why health essays are in demand!
A few favorites from my former students:
Christine Gross Loh’s “I Could Face My Own Mortality, But My Son’s Was Another Story”
Judi Ketteler’s “Love Medicine: The Pain of Finding a Cure”
Jen Reeder’s “I Donated a Kidney to My Husband to Save His Life”
While these are highly dramatic stories, don’t underestimate the seemingly mundane: The bite of a mosquito you were sure carried West Nile (but didn’t), figuring out which acne treatment is best for your teenager or trying to convince a parent (or yourself) that it’s time for a hearing aid.
Ready to craft your own? Write a few paragraphs about a health experience you’ve had and send it to me by May 1 for your chance to win a spot in one of my two essay-writing workshops or a half-hour of one-on-one coaching (to be redeemed in 2019).
The next basic class begins on May 13. Mention my newsletter – or refer a friend – and you’ll get $20 off the price of admission. If you want a higher-level course, you can sign up for my next alumni class in June. I would love to see some of you in “session” soon.
Happy Writing,
A