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
Last week I had the privilege of doing a live video, via Pulmonary Fibrosis News’ Facebook page. It was a lot of fun to have so many patients, caregivers and medical professionals tune in as we talked about treatment. The beauty of a…
Pulmonary fibrosis patients, like myself, have to deal with lots of symptoms and hardships on a daily basis because of our disease. One of those difficulties for me is trouble sleeping. Sleep problems come from a variety of sources Among them: Medication side effects. Some of those…
Pulmonary fibrosis patients have lots of unique medical needs, especially concerning obtaining medication and supplemental oxygen. A few weeks ago, I wrote two columns about my fight to get liquid oxygen as well as tips to help readers obtain…
Being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis is an overwhelming experience In a moment, our lives are changed forever when receiving this diagnosis. How do we absorb being diagnosed with a terminal illness? Where do we get answers to our many questions? How do we get support from others who…
How do you get liquid oxygen? Last week I shared my struggle to get my oxygen provider to bring me liquid oxygen. It took me five months, but I was finally successful. In case you missed it, last week’s column also included a video demonstrating how I…
About a year ago I put on my “big girl panties” and began the fight to get my oxygen provider to supply me with liquid oxygen. Up to this point, I’d been using an oxygen concentrator at home, and a portable oxygen concentrator away from home. I…
Last week, I shared how common it is for patients and loved ones to struggle with the severity of our PF diagnosis. We are all equipped differently to handle emotional pain and face the reality of what we are dealing with. Our faith can be a…
It is common for patients and loved ones to struggle with the reality of our diagnosis. For patients, it is tough to take in that we have a terminal illness. It is hard for us to reconcile how tragedies happen to those who have a positive effect…
Asking for help can be tough I was quite independent before I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and often busy running my own counseling practice, writing, speaking, and living my life. I was active in every area of my life, but boy has that changed since…
Two weeks ago, I had the joy of sharing my recent trip to our son’s wedding, which was made possible by the generosity of others. During my trip to Houston, I met with a friend of mine who is also a counselor, Jennifer Christian. She interviewed…
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