Living with IPF — a column by Charlene Marshall

Charlene is a fiercely independent 30-something year-old who can’t sit still. She loves coffee, wine tasting, playing with her dog, and spending time on the beach with her family. She’s a lover of all things travel, and never passes up an opportunity for a dip in the ocean! A proud Canadian, Charlene was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2016 after 13 months of investigation into sudden shortness of breath, a chronic cough, and unusual fatigue. IPF has forced her to slow down, but she’s slowly learning the value of quality versus quantity in everything she does.

Avoid Toxic Positivity to Help PF Patients

I began hearing the term “toxic positivity” this year, and the pandemic has illuminated the term’s meaning for me. According to The Psychology Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, toxic positivity refers to “the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations.” Since the beginning of…

Identifying and Reducing IPF-related Stress in My Life

At some point in everyone’s lives, we feel overwhelmed by the pressure to perform, whether it’s getting good grades at school, excelling at playing an instrument, or receiving a promotion at work. Many of these are normal pressures one expects throughout their lives. However, patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),…

How Much Risk Can Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Mitigate?

The world must learn to address our widespread anxiety about the ongoing health crisis. As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a life-threatening lung disease that makes me increasingly vulnerable to respiratory infections, I’m familiar with this anxiety. But life must continue, and it’s necessary to find a…

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