Two years ago today, an inspirational young woman with whom I had the privilege of working for several years passed away. She died of an incurable cancer that no one should ever have to face. While fighting this ginormous battle, she exhibited the most compassion, selflessness, and…
For most people, a new year brings new opportunities and often, a strong desire to bring on changes and try to achieve new goals. Some make those goals about physical changes, while others might look at social goals. Some may choose mental or emotional health improvements, such as striving for…
The financial impact of living with a life-threatening illness like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) can be overwhelming for patients. Thankfully, in Canada, we don’t have as much of a financial burden when it comes to medical costs. However, patients living with IPF still have several expenses related to care.
For the general population, it is widely known — via literature, social media, and personal experiences shared from others — that stress is not good for our health. It can have all kinds of implications for our bodies and minds that manifest in different ways. As a physical…
Although it’s changing in today’s society, it was previously presumed that someone with a disability was completely dependent on others. It’s quite common for people to think that because someone has a disability, they’re unable to complete daily tasks on their own. It’s this type of thinking that cultivates dependence…
For patients living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or any chronic lung disease, it’s known that an acute exacerbation, illness or fluke decrease in lung function could drastically change their ability to breathe. Since this can and does happen for unknown reasons, there is often this sense of “living everyday…
As we begin a new year, I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy 2018. I hope the holiday season was magical for you and that the year is off to a great start. Each new year, I like to reflect on the time…
It is safe to say that 2017 just wasn’t my year. It also seems that I can find solitude in saying that it wasn’t a great year in general, based on conversations with others. The hardest part of this year for me was the rapid progression of my…
If you’re an individual living with a lung disease, you’re likely very aware of how the weather can impact your ability to breathe. Typically, patients living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are impacted by extreme temperatures that often make it difficult to breathe. In the summer months, extreme heat can…
There’s a lot of literature out there that highlights strategies and tips for coping with a life-threatening illness diagnosis. The challenge is that most of this literature is written based on various theories from professionals including psychologists, chronic-illness specialists and doctors. This literature is very rarely written from a patient’s…
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