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
There is so much to adjust to when you’ve been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. For me the biggest adjustment has been the diagnosis itself, with it’s dismal future. Then there’s medical tests, oxygen, tiredness, change in functioning at home and work, grief, and a…
Last week I shared how important it is to make friends with your emotions, especially as a pulmonary fibrosis patient. I’ve been wading through a boatload of very difficult emotions since being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis two and a half…
I still remember the day my doctor diagnosed me with pulmonary fibrosis I was hit with a ton of emotions, all at once. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I was confused, incredibly sad, angry and disoriented. I felt one emotion, then another and then a third…
We just celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States, and I am feeling a lot of gratitude that I am still in the land of the living this holiday season. What a blessing each day and each breath is! Of course, keeping…
Hello Pulmonary Fibrosis Community! Technology is amazing! For a little over a year Facebook has been allowing its members to do live videos from their pages. I tried this out on my own Facebook page about three months ago, and am really enjoying being able to reach out and…
The holidays are coming! They are a challenge to negotiate as a pulmonary fibrosis patient. Here’s some tips I’d like to share to make the most of the holidays while taking good care of yourself. It is normal to have a mixture of feelings…
I’ve been going to pulmonary rehab for about two years. It takes place at a very different kind of gym. It is a pulmonary rehab gym for people who have lung conditions and who need to be monitored (oxygen levels and heart rate) while exercising.
I don’t know about you, but for me adjusting sure is hard. I just got back from a visit to University of California, San Francisco, for my six-month check-up at the Interstitial Lung Department. It’s one of three places in California where lung transplants (along with Stanford…
Treating yourself with kindness and compassion is essential for a healthy and balanced life, especially for those with pulmonary fibrosis As a marriage and family therapist for the past 30 years, I have walked in the trenches with people going through very difficult times. I…
Sometimes it is hard to keep going when you have pulmonary fibrosis The basics of living life and traveling are now such a challenge for me … like breathing, walking, being tired, having to bring oxygen and needing help. I recently attended a Writer’s…
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