Just Breathe...Compassionate Help for the PF Journey

d87dbd0122f8a05f8c93e6576ea24dfaKim 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

Give Yourself Time to Adjust on the PF Journey

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…

Grief Can Be a Friend on this PF Journey

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…

Making Friends with Your Emotions

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…

Handling the Holidays While Living with PF

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…

Adjusting is Hard, So Take it Easy

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…

5 Tips to Keep Going on This PF Journey

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…