Kim Fredrickson was an Author, Blogger and Marriage and Family Therapist. She lived in Northern CA, with her husband of 40 years and had 2 adult children. Kim was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis in May 2014, as a rare complication from chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. Kim is the author of Pulmonary Fibrosis Journey: A Counselor and Fellow Patient Walks with You, The Power of Positive Self-Talk, and Give Your Kids a Break: Parenting with Compassion for You and Your Children. Kim believed that learning to advocate for yourself with kindness and compassion, just as you would for a good friend, makes this difficult journey a little easier. In her patient column on Pulmonary Fibrosis News, she offered practical ideas to help us care for ourselves, fight for what we need, and process our many-layered emotions. Kim passed away in 2019, but her inspirational work advocating for the IPF community continues to inspire and endure.
Read more of Kim’s writing at www.kimfredrickson.com
This is a difficult blog to write I’ve been making decisions about how to spend my limited time and energy wisely. I was hoping to bounce back after I experienced a decrease in lung function about two months ago. But a trip to my doctor caused me…
I sat down to open my mail a few days ago and received what felt like a slap in the face. Shame hurts. My local utility company sent me a report letting me know that I was using 161 percent more…
I’m not big on hope, even though I have a sign that says “hope” on my porch year-round. Are you thinking “Wait! How can she say that? I want to be encouraged here!” I’m not big on attaching hope to:…
I have a love/hate relationship with my supplemental oxygen. I use liquid oxygen at a flow of 8 litres per minute, 24/7, as well as an oxygen concentrator. I’m grateful to have it, for without it my organs would fail.
A while ago I was feeling tired and found myself debating whether I wanted to put out the energy to get together with some friends. Going out and lugging my oxygen around is a lot of effort, and it wears me out. It hit me that this was…
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I have a good answer to this question, but I’ll share my journey delivering this message. My journey actually began by telling others I had breast cancer three-and-a-half years ago. Only 10 days elapsed between that awful phone call and my surgery. I…
I am quite aware of what I can no longer do, and grieve these losses. I also have found that focusing on what I CAN DO encourages me, and gives me hope and purpose. My sister Kyle and yours truly. My…
As a patient with pulmonary fibrosis I try to come up with ways to calm myself calm when I’m distressed, discouraged, scared or in pain. Dealing with this diagnosis gives me plenty of opportunities. The need to soothe ourselves when distressed occurs…
As we head into this New Year I wanted to take some time to thank all the caregivers who help us live with pulmonary fibrosis. It is easy for me to be aware of all I’m dealing with as a result of this illness, and unintentionally minimize the…
So what is grief? Isn’t it just lots of crying? That is such a normal question. Grief is the process of letting go of someone or something that was deeply important to you. Grief is very different for each person, and comes in waves…
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