Make Every Breath Count – a Column by Samuel Kirton

Why the new system for organ allocation is an improvement

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, I received an email asking if I would participate in an exercise on how deceased donor organs are allocated. The opening statement read: “The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network [OPTN] is developing a more equitable system of allocating deceased donor organs. The new approach, continuous…

Social workers play an integral role on my healthcare team

When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I became a patient at the Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Center in Virginia. Inova is one of 81 locations included in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s Care Center Network (CCN). One…

Celebrating Milestones on the Road I Have Traveled

There are certain moments in our lives when a single event becomes indelibly etched into our memory. And the significance of such moments is dictated by each of us. Think about that for a minute. What moments are etched into your memory? Have you dealt with the loss of a…