Month: February 2025

creativity

A reminder on where we can go from here

Christa Avampato
Photo by Holly Mandarich on Unsplash

Here’s a reminder I know I need every day, and maybe it will help you, too — At any age and stage in life, you can:

– Start over
– Start again
– Try something brand new
– Be a beginner
– Learn
– Grow
– Change
– Evolve
– Say goodbye
– Say hello
– Forgive
– Ask for forgiveness
– Pause
– Reflect
– Discover

You are allowed to do all those things, and many at the same time. You are never just one thing or one way. Who you’ve been, what you’ve done, and where you’ve been are prologue to who you will be, what you will do, and where you will go. The past is merely setting the scene and dressing the set for all the choices you will make and the adventures you will have that lie ahead.

creativity

NIH funding freeze endangers American lives and the US economy

Christa Avampato
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash. Chanelle Case Borden, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute’s Experimental Immunology Branch, pipetting DNA samples into a tube for polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a laboratory technique used to make multiple copies of a segment of DNA.

Earlier this week, I wrote in my Togetherhood newsletter about the history and scientific research of Gila monster venom that led to Novo Nordicks’s medications Ozempic and Wegovy. This research began at the National Institutes of Health and led to some of the most profitable and promising drugs. These types of advances are now in danger because the Trump administration has frozen much of the $47 billion the US spends annually on biomedical research like this through 60,000 NIH grants.

The US houses the world’s leading medical labs that research cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s, heart disease, child health, and diabetes to name just a few. NIH grants provide significant funding to these labs. To make sure the grants are used efficiently and ethically, there’s an extensive review process of grant applications. When the Trump administration froze the funding, they stopped all these review processes. These frozen funds also caused many research labs and universities that house them to halt hiring and PhD and post-doc admissions. Even if they released the funding today, it would take weeks or months to restart all these processes.

Additionally, freezing these funds is negatively impacting the economy and US competitiveness on the world stage. Every $1 of NIH spending generates more than $2 dollars in US economic activity. Healthcare is the biggest industry in the US. Without the foundation of NIH-funded research, the industry is in crisis. The US produces more influential health science research than the next 10 leading countries, combined. Every day that goes by, lives and livelihoods of Americans are in jeopardy. Please call your reps today and tell them to fight to restore NIH funding. Your life and the lives of those you love depend on it.

creativity

A monster created Ozempic

Christa Avampato
Gila monster. 2023. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

If you’ve benefitted from the medications Ozempic, Wegovy, and others like them to treat diabetes and support weight management, thank the Gila monster. They have a hormone (exendin-4) that controls their blood sugar and delays the stomach from emptying, prolonging feelings of fullness. It’s similar in chemical composition to our GLP-1 hormone that performs the same functions in our bodies. However, the Gila monster’s exendin-4 allows them to stay healthy while eating only 5 to 10 times per year.

This ability to fast for long periods of time without impacting their health piqued the interest of endocrinologist Dr. John Eng and his team of researchers in the 1980s and 1990s. They set out to discover if a medication that mimics exendin-4 would help humans manage their blood sugar and weight.

A component of their venom, the Gila monster’s exendin-4 while similar to our GLP-1 was found by Eng and his team to be effective for much longer. In clinical trials, one injection of a medication inspired by exendin-4 helped diabetics keep their blood sugar under control for an entire week and decreased their appetite, helping them to lose weight, too.

Though it took decades of testing and evaluation, exenatide, a synthetic version of exendin-4 was approved by the FDA in 2005 to treat Type-2 diabetes. Research continued to evaluate it as a treatment for obesity and weight management. That research led the creation of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

Gila monsters are our elders. They trace their ancestry back to the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs ruled the planet, 145 – 66 million years ago, nearly 60 million years before our earliest ancestors made an appearance. Gila monsters are in essence “living fossils”. In that time, they evolved astounding abilities that we’re just beginning to fully understand.

Unfortunately, this creature who survived the catastrophic asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is steadily being wiped out by us. Their population is declining due to the pet trade and the destruction of habitat from agriculture and urbanization despite the fact that without them, the multi-billion-dollar drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and others wouldn’t exist.

Nature, and the species with whom we share this one planet, are intricately tied to our health and well-being. Stories like that of the Gila monster and Ozempic remind us that nature is a research lab, pharmacy, archive, library, concert hall, and constant source of inspiration. When we threaten the lives of other species, we compromise our own opportunities to live well. There’s no getting around it: We are a part of nature, not apart from nature. How bright our future will be depends on how much we respect and safeguard the natural world, and the health of the ecosystems within which we all live.

creativity

You’re safe with me

Christa Avampato

There are a lot of people in the U.S. who don’t know who they’re safe with right now. I want to say this loudly and publicly: if you’re a good, decent person who works hard, and cares about other beings and this beautiful planet we all share, you’re safe with me. You’re welcome at my table. Come as you are, be as you are. As long as we don’t give up, it’s not over. They are counting on us giving up. And there’s no way I’m ever giving up. There’s too much at stake. I’m in this with you. I got you.

creativity

Introducing my bloodhound foster puppies, Sophia and Dorothy

Christa Avampato
Dorothy (left) and Sophia (right)

Let me tell you a story. Picture it. Sicily, 1922… Seriously, though the story of these 2 babies and their sisters, Rose and Blanche, is a doozy.

In Queens, a member of the Muddy Paws Rescue community observed horrid conditions of backyard breeders. Their adult male and female bloodhounds had a litter of 4 puppies in mid-December. The parents and puppies were left outside, in all weather conditions, with no shelter and not enough food. Muddy Paws offered resources to have the adult dogs altered. The people refused that help though they did agree to give her the puppies so we could find homes for them. (I’m going to find out what can be done to help the adult dogs who are still with those people. More on that later…)

Despite their difficult start, Sophia and Dorothy are incredible dogs. They don’t show any signs of trauma. They are floppy, happy, energetic, gorgeous puppies. They love each other, share everything, and are either wrestling, eating, or napping on top of each other. That they’re even alive is amazing. That they’re alive, completely healthy, and well-adjusted is a miracle. They’ll need training of course, as all dogs do, and I can’t wait to see them shine in their new forever homes whenever they get adopted.

Right now, they’re indoor only puppies until they get all of their vaccines. They’ve been keeping me busy as we figure out how to set up my apartment and get into a routine. I think we’re doing pretty well considering I’ve never had puppies this young and never had 2 dogs at once. I haven’t looked much at the news, which has been a welcome reprieve, and they’ve brought me so much joy and laughter.

Today I sent their photos and wrote their profiles for their adoption pages that will be on the Muddy Paws Rescue website this week. They’ll be at the adoption event this coming Saturday, February 22nd. No matter how long I end up having them – whether it’s 1 week or many weeks – I’ll be forever grateful to them for showing me that how we start is just that. It’s only a beginning. Those we meet along our path can change everything.

creativity

The health of our babies depends on the health of bats

Christa Avampato
Image created by Christa Avampato with Canva Magic Media

When you think about ways to improve the health of human babies, you may not immediately think of helping bats stay healthy. You should. The journal Science published a shocking paper linking a rise in human infant mortality to a declining bat population.

In addition to being pollinators that bring us the gifts of flowers and food, bats also consume massive amounts of insects that would otherwise infest our crops and cause us endless hours of itching from bug bites. A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquito-sized insects every hour, and each bat usually eats 6,000 to 8,000 insects each night. That’s a helpful service but what does that have to do with infant mortality? It’s a direct cause and effect.

Plagued by an outbreak of the deadly white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills bats, North American bat populations are dropping. This means there are fewer bats to eat insects that infest crops. That’s caused farmers to use more chemical insecticide. This insecticide leaches into crops, land, and water. This toxin has increased infant mortality. It’s also lowered crop yields, decreasing farmers’ crop revenue and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is just the latest study to show how the health of ecosystems is directly linked to human health and the economy. As much as I’d love for municipalities and companies to care about the planet because we depend on nature for our survival, as climate communicators and nature advocates we often have to make the economic business case to protect the environment. Studies like the one in Science linking bats and infant mortality provide a solid example of how to quantify the cost and value of biodiversity and ecosystem health.

I often hear the media vilify animals like bats without recognizing the vital role they play in our lives and in nature. If we can’t get people to care about bats because they are sentient beings and a part of nature, maybe now we can get people to care about them because they affect babies, the food supply, and our economy. If that’s the argument that works, it’s the argument I’ll make, backed up with research-based science and facts.

Protect babies. Protect bats.

creativity

Saying goodbye to foster dog, Harold

Christa Avampato
Harold at my home

This is Harold, a sweet, gentle senior dog who I watched overnight. He had a vet appointment the next morning and his full-time foster wasn’t able to take him so I offered to help.

When he arrived, I fed him his dinner. He was still hungry so I made him some chicken and rice, which he happily gobbled up. He was so incredibly sweet and trusting.

I walked into my bedroom at one point and Harold followed me. He went right to my full-length mirror and inspected himself. I felt like he was telling me he was seeing a younger version of himself.

I was up all night with Harold. He was restless, anxious, and confused, walking back and forth between his food bowl and the front door. He had some pain in his back legs and the meds didn’t seem to help. Sometimes, he walked in circles. His behavior reminded me of Phinny’s end stages. I tried getting him to lay down, taking him for multiple walks throughout the night, putting him in his crate. Nothing worked. He was so uncomfortable and I felt terribly for him. I asked Phinny if he could help me figure out what to do to help Harold.

At one point, I nodded off in the middle of the night. I had a dream about Phinny. He was standing in front of an empty food bowl, just staring at me with sad eyes. When I jolted awake, I was afraid something was terribly wrong. I looked in my kitchen and Harold was hovering over his food bowl. Then, I understood what Phinny was telling me: Harold was ready to cross the rainbow bridge. I got Harold to sit down next to me for a bit. I stroked his soft, curly fur and tried to soothe him with my words. He was telling me it was his time.

The watercolor of a dachshund at the vet’s office

Morning arrived. I got ready and then walked to the subway with Harold. He was an absolute champ on the train. When we got to the vet, we had a short wait. In the lobby there was a watercolor print of a dachshund. I knew Phinny was with us.

The nurses did an intake and asked me some questions. I explained I’d just had him for one night and told her what I observed. As I watched Harold walk away with the nurse, he looked exhausted and worn out. My eyes welled up. I’d only had him for 16 hours and yet I felt like I’d known him much longer. I was afraid I might not see him again.

I texted with his foster and another rescue volunteer. We were talking about him having fospice (foster hospice) vibes. She said he’d improved some since he’d been with her. I gave her a rundown of everything I observed while he was with me.

The vet messaged me a few hours later that Harold was ready to get picked up. I went to get him since his full-time foster couldn’t get there before the vet closed. They wouldn’t give me any info directly about his check-up. He looked about the same to me. We walked back to the subway to go home and wait for his foster mom. Again, he was a star subway rider with perfect manners. As we walked home, he seemed to be giving me the same message: It was his time.

When we got home, he drank a whole bowl of water, and had a full plate of chicken and rice. He was so hungry from having to fast for his vet appointment. Then for the first time since he arrived at my house, he curled up in Phinny’s bed. Another sign that it was time.

Harold’s foster mom arrived at my apartment soon after Harold laid down. I got him up and we went outside. His foster wasn’t convinced that it was his time yet. He had improved so much since he’d been with her and she thought what I observed was just anxiety about being in a new home. I knew it was something more, and said so. I had to advocate for him.

His foster messaged me that night about some of the symptoms he was now exhibiting. She was seeing now what I saw. She messaged me again the following morning. The rescue made the painful decision to help Harold cross the rainbow bridge.

My eyes welled up again. I knew it was the right decision for Harold and still, I was heartbroken. I’m grateful he didn’t die alone on the streets or in a crowded shelter. He left this world surrounded by people who loved him. He got to go with dignity.

Run free, sweet Harold. I sent Phinny to meet you and show you around your new forever. Thank you for giving me the honor of looking after you when you needed me most. Thank you for trusting me to be your advocate. I will never forget you.

creativity

Follow the money: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on what’s behind all the executive orders and what we can do

Christa Avampato
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on an Instagram Live event

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doing regular Instagram Live events about what’s happening in this new administration and actions we can all take. These events help us understand what underpins everything that’s happening and why it’s happening. Knowing this information can help us stay calm and focus our energy into actions that will move the needle.

I didn’t know 99% of what AOC explains in this week’s Live event, and I read all day, every day. I watch the news constantly. The media and the opinions of friends and family members, no matter their jobs and past experience, are not facts. Many think they’re experts in what’s happening and almost no one is because what’s happening is unprecedented. Past experience isn’t a guide because we’re not living in the same world we were in two weeks ago. The only people who actually see the entire landscape are those on the ground right now, in the room where it happens inside the Capitol Building. That’s exactly why AOC is doing these Live events.

I highly recommend watching AOC’s Live events. They’re saved as Reels to watch later. They’re long because the landscape is complex. If you don’t have the energy or time, I’ve put the biggest take-aways from this week’s event below.

Here is the biggest thing you need to know: A massive tax break for the rich with a looming deadline, Medicaid, Department of Defense spending and the tech industry (including AI), immigration, prisons, and the GOP are all connected.

Tax breaks
In 2017, this president and the GOP forced through one of the biggest tax giveaways to the rich in U.S. history — a total of ~$4 trillion. For example, they include tax write-offs on private jets and yachts. These tax breaks sunset this year. Not only does this administration want to extend them but they also want to expand them.

Medicaid
Where will they find $4 trillion to extend and expand these tax breaks? I thought I would be from raising taxes on people who make less than $350,000. Nope. That’s only going to give them a fraction of the $4 trillion. They’re going after Medicaid because they think they can get $2 trillion from there. This explains why they want us to think people on Medicaid are lazy and that they’re the enemy. This explains why they tried to freeze Medicaid portals, except that massively backfired on them, and they had to reopen them.

Department of Defense spending and tech companies (including AI)
You know what government waste they won’t cut? Defense spending. Why? Because most tech companies whose products we use every day, and the billionaires who own them, make a massive amount of money from defense contracts. Defense contractors price gouge constantly. The Pentagon has yet to pass an audit. They want us to believe supporting Defense spending proves we’re patriots and love our country; if we question anything to do with the Defense spending, we’re not patriots. We’re the enemy. This is how they pit us against one another. Don’t fall for it.

Immigration, prisons, and the GOP
They want us to think they’re focused on immigration and mass deportation for our safety. Nope. They know they can’t do mass deportations all at once so what will they do with the people they round up? Detain them. Where? Prisons (like the news about the 30,000 people they want to hold at Guantánamo.) Who makes money from prison construction and management? The private prison industry. Who owns the prison industry? Billionaires. Who finances a lot of Republican campaigns? The private prison industry.

What actions can we take?
No action is too small. 
We are all grains of sand in these giant gears and if enough of us mobilize, we can at least slow them down. If a lot of us mobilize, we can stop them. When your mind says, “we can’t do anything”, STOP. Breathe. Do it anyway. When we are relentless, they will fatigue. Draw them out. Do not comply in advance.

File your Federal taxes directly FOR FREE 
For years AOC and many others have been fighting against the lobbyists at TurboTax, H&R Block, and others who make massive amounts of money off of people filing their taxes. IRS Free File could potentially cause those companies to lose a lot of money this year. That’s why this administration is trying to kill IRS Free File. This administration cares about making money for big businesses, not about protecting working class people. I’ve used a company to file for years. I’ll file my taxes for free this year with IRS Free File.

If you’re exhausted and have no time
Look up your rights, whether you’re a U.S. citizen, green card holder, visa holder, or undocumented. You can also help your neighbors know their rights. AOC put a Know Your Rights flyer on her website in English, Spanish, Bangla, Mandarin, and Arabic.

If you have a little more energy
Print out the Know Your Rights flyer. Take them around to your local shops, business, food carts, and libraries, and ask if you can put them up for people to read.

If you have a medium amount of energy
Call your senators. No matter what party they’re in, tell them you want them to vote no on every single cabinet appointment. Even if your call just slows them down a fraction, it’s effective. No matter how they vote, your voice matters. Your anger matters, even if they make you think it doesn’t. Their skin is thin. And so is this administration’s. And so is this batch of billionaires’. 
 
Call your House Reps. No matter how they vote, no matter what party they’re in, express your dismay. You might think it doesn’t matter, especially if they support this administration, but it matters. The tallies of who calls and what those callers say is reported to them every single day. Call them.

If you’re a federal worker
Don’t take the buy-out. They’re counting on you giving up and walking away so they can do whatever they want. Make them make you leave. Don’t consent in advance.

If ICE comes to your home, workplace, school, house of worship, or community center
You don’t have to open the door. They need a judicial warrant with a judge’s signature to enter. You can ask them to leave. You don’t have to give them any personal information. You don’t have to answer any of their questions. You don’t need to sign anything. You can ask for an attorney. California and New York provide attorneys for everyone, even those who are undocumented. Outside those states, you can ask to speak to an attorney. You can stay silent, even if you’re detained.

In summary
Take a breath
Focus
Know your rights and help others know theirs
Call your senators and House reps

creativity

What an albatross, a whale, and a tortoise taught me about aging

Christa Avampato
The Laysan albatross known as Wisdom in December 2016 at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Kristina McOmber/Kupu Conservation Leadership Development Program and USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/laysan-albatross-known-wisdom-december-2016-midway-atoll-national-wildlife-refuge

Wisdom the albatross, bowhead whales, and Jonathan the tortoise taught me to age well. We equate aging with loss, and often forget that aging has bonuses, too. Age contains stories and experience, wisdom and strength. As more time passes, the more I understand that every moment counts. Aging has shown me what matters, and just important, what doesn’t. My capacity for love, gratitude, generosity, vulnerability, and openness increases every day. The older I get, the more I value my relationships and community.

In Indigenous cultures, as in nature, aging is the ultimate prize. Artists of all mediums also understand the power of aging. I know my writing now is better than it was 10 years ago, and 10 years from now it will be better still. I think it’s one reason I was drawn to becoming a writer – it’s a skill that gets better with age.

Aging is a privilege denied to many. Having nearly lost my battle with cancer several times, I know how lucky I am to be here, how fortunate I am every day to get another day. Nature understands this, too. Nature is filled with examples of individuals and species that get better with age and defy stereotypes. Below are three of my favorite nature stories about the gifts of aging.

The many loves of Wisdom the albatross
Wisdom, a senior female Laysan albatross, is a prime example of how to thrive in old age. She was banded in 1956 by legendary ornithologist, Chandler Robbins. He died in 2017, so Wisdom has outlived the man who most closely studied her – something no one would have believed nearly 70 years ago when they first met.

This species is monogamous and mates for life. Wisdom has outlived at least three mates. Scientists estimate she’s had 50 – 60 offspring in her lifetime. Not too shabby for a bird who was rearing young during the Eisenhower administration.

At the ripe old age of 74, Wisdom is preparing to welcome another chick early this year with her current, much-younger mate. 74 is ancient for this species. The average age in the wild is 30 and after Wisdom, the next oldest known Laysan albatross is 45.

Losing someone we love, especially someone we’ve built a life with, is a painful and difficult loss. I admire Wisdom for embracing every new chapter, for leaving herself open to the possibility to love in every season of her very long life.

Whales sing to survive
Bowhead whales are the longest-living mammal species. In 2007, a harpoon tip was found in the blubber of a bowhead whale; the harpoon was from the late 1800s. Recent research has found they can live to be over 200 years.

Bowheads live in the Arctic Seas, some of the harshest environments in the world. They’re able to thrive there because of their strong communications skills; studies have shown they have as many as 184 distinct songs composed of a vast array of sounds. They use these songs to find food and navigate in a world dominated by icy darkness. Their strong sense of community and their ability to freely and generously share information with one another helps them thrive despite the challenges in this difficult ecosystem.

Slow and steady, Jonathan the tortoise wins the race
Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise is an animal who helped save my life. He lives on the island of Saint Helena off the southwestern coast of Africa. The oldest known living land animal, he’s estimated to be a minimum of 192 years old, born decades before the U.S. Civil War.

When I was going through cancer treatment, I’d often find myself staring at the ceiling at 3am, wracked with anxiety and worry. I’d switch on Wonder, a Calm app sleep story by Matthew McConaughey, and he’d talk about how somewhere in the world Jonathan was turning his face up to the stars, pondering the passing of another day. Though the world had radically transformed during his lifetime, Jonathan lived moment-to-moment, taking life as it comes. Thinking about Jonathan, I’d feel my breathing slow, and my mind would stop racing. He lived life day-by-day, savoring each one. I could do that, too. We all can.   

Nature provides all the insight and inspiration I need aging. All these animals have much to teach us about living long and well into our golden years: Embrace love, nurture community, share openly, sing, and live each moment. I have no need for the anti-aging products that glut the market and my social media feeds. I’ll stick with the 3.8 billion years of experience amassed by nature and offered to us by our elders such as Wisdom, bowhead whales, and Jonathan. As they say in the movie When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll have what they’re having.”