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Balancing the Rituals of Risk Management

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…

IPF and Ossification: Who Knew?

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…

The Journey to Discovering My Human Superpowers

I just finished watching the episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was taken by the Borg. In one scene, the Borg turned him into a machine, or in Trekkie terms, a “cyborg.” This made me think of my “extra appendages,” my oxygen tanks.

Where Do We Turn When Prescribed Therapies Aren’t Effective?

Managing symptoms is an ongoing challenge for chronically ill patients. Whether they’re caused by an exacerbation, disease progression, or environmental factors, it’s often difficult for patients to get quick relief, including from respiratory symptoms. Despite their name, rescue inhalers aren’t always effective in managing or improving pulmonary fibrosis…