Gonna Live My Life by Mark Koziol

Mark is a survivor of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and had a single-lung transplant at Cleveland Clinic. He is a former educator and now shares his transplant journey with the readers of Pulmonary Fibrosis News. Mark resides in Cleveland, Ohio, and is an avid sports fan supporting the professional teams in Cleveland. Mark has not let his diagnosis curb his enthusiasm for life.

Why I’m Feeling Grateful During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Self-isolation has become a form of survival for those with pulmonary fibrosis during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a single-lung transplant recipient and have a compromised immune system. COVID-19 can devastate a perfectly healthy person, and someone with my current state of health is at even greater risk. The self-isolation…

Coughing Is My Most Feared IPF Symptom

Recently, a topic in the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums called “fits of cough” caught my attention. Reflecting on the topic brought back vivid memories of my own experience with coughing attacks. Before my single-lung transplant, coughing spells sometimes lingered for up to 45 minutes. It always felt like…

On Some Days, I Feel Invincible

At my last doctor’s appointment, my physician asked me how I felt. I replied, “Some days, I feel invincible.” She gave me the biggest smile and told me how happy she was that I was doing so well. While I get colds and sometimes contract a virus, when I…

This Holiday Season Brought Bittersweet Memories

I enjoy the holiday season, especially Christmas celebrations. As my siblings and other family members were born in Poland — I am the only one born in the U.S. — we follow a traditional Polish Christmas, holding most of the festivities on Christmas Eve, or Wigilia. Special foods are…

I’m Grateful to Celebrate My Fourth ‘Lungiversary’

Thanksgiving is over, but my feeling of gratitude remains. As a single-lung transplant recipient, the holiday is a time for me to contemplate the tremendous gift given to me on Dec. 4, 2015. I have just passed my fourth “lungiversary.” As I look back at my experience, I find it…

Q&A with a Pulmonologist: What IPF Patients Want to Know

After my single-lung transplant in December 2015, I was invited to participate in a panel of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and lung transplant patients who had previously taken the anti-fibrotic medications Ofev (nintedanib) or Esbriet (pirfenidone). My pulmonologist had asked me to take part in a…