Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is emerging as a “hot spot” for drug development research, according to the nonprofit CheckOrphan, which notes that “investor and industry interest is accelerating.” A May 2026 article on the organization’s website notes recent activity by Avalyn Pharma, which has secured $100 million in…
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Up until my husband, Donnie, became ill with pulmonary fibrosis, our family had been relatively healthy and free of any major issues. Each of us made it to our annual checkups, plus an additional appointment or two during cold and flu season. We probably had a handful of prescriptions…
Rehabilitation from serious health setbacks is hard. This week has repeatedly proven that to me. Since being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I’ve learned a lot about the disease. But I haven’t learned everything yet. During my IPF journey, I wasn’t hospitalized after my…
When my husband and I decided to move to a small farm, we imagined early mornings feeding chickens, tending the garden together, and watching cattle graze in the distance. It wasn’t simply a place to live. It was the life we had dreamed of building. No one imagines that one day their own body will…
I’m home, at last, after a 17-day hospital stay where I was treated for shingles. Oddly enough, after it was determined by my care team that I was a viable candidate for a lung transplant following my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I was…
Have you ever wondered what a columnist for Pulmonary Fibrosis News does while being hospitalized for 17 days? First, I focused on getting better. Second, I asked many questions of those caring for me. Finally, as I met other medical specialists, I asked them what they knew about…
I feel like I’m in a long scene from the classic movie “The Neverending Story,” and the dark force is shingles. As I write this, I’m still hospitalized while my care team works to address the complications of this infection in a post-transplant patient. I’m determined to write this…
A funny thing happened the other day on the way to the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums. In the blink of an eye, everything changed, and off I went to the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. I should start at the beginning. On June 12, I began…
My husband, Donnie, suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for several years before the onset of his lung issues, and we were surprised to learn of the connection between GERD and pulmonary fibrosis (PF). While, to my knowledge, the scientific community isn’t 100% certain of that relationship, we do…
I recently received my first Rituxan (rituximab) infusion. Most people might think of treatment as starting when the medication enters the IV. But for me and many others, it starts long before that, with paperwork, phone calls, authorizations, appointments, and a level of persistence that we patients rarely get credit…
