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In February of 2016, I joined the Greater Kansas City Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group. As I attended more meetings, I realized PF awareness was important, and I wanted to make a difference. Because I had a unique case of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with ossification that excluded me from…

Throughout their lives, many people experience an array of ups and downs. Days, months, or even years can be plagued with challenges that seem unfair. Conversely, people also can experience prolonged periods when things go well. Rare disease patients who frequently experience ups and downs caused by their illness know…

My husband is retiring in a couple weeks. I’m not of retirement age, but sometimes life happens and decisions are forced upon us. (Photo by Ann Reynoso) My husband and I have quite an age gap. He is 16 years older than me, making our retirement stages uneven. While…

I was born into a risk management family. My parents built a mom and pop insurance agency into a regional empire, and now my brother and I are deep in it, too. This works because my personality is naturally cautious. I don’t go on solo mountain bike rides longer…

A couple weeks ago, my good friend Bert Maidment and I completed the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb, an annual fundraising event. I had never before competed in an event like this. I’m not a runner or even a walker. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic adventure.

I love the memories feature offered on various social media platforms. With the click of a button, you can revisit what you were doing or posting about on the same day in previous years. I recently read an old post on one of my social media pages that reminded…

I had an epiphany last week: It’s hard to find a job! My first thought was that it must be my age. My experience doesn’t matter because I don’t fit into the work culture. (I’d never heard of “work culture” until I saw it on LinkedIn.) My second…

Following my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis in 2016, I had many fears. As an avid traveler, my No. 1 fear was being put on supplemental oxygen and losing the ability to fly. I also feared that using oxygen would prevent me from partaking in many of the outdoor…

After my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis, I was in denial about having the disease. So, I had a video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy in July 2014. The pathologist said my diagnosis was “fibrosing and interstitial…

If I asked you to identify yourself, what would you say? “My name is …” “I am a …” “I work as a …” “I was born in …” There are an infinite number of ways to define and describe ourselves. If each facet of our personality were an ID…