Columns

I’ve been going through a second (Third? Fourth?) wave of grief for all things pre-pandemic. I am still mourning things that once brought me joy but are currently off-limits — rugby, concerts, being a wedding photographer, and date night out, to name a few things. I’m still hurting…

During a video call with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) advocates last week, I was informed that the U.S. Eastern Seaboard faced some terrible weather. Severe thunderstorms left many without power for days. While this is inconvenient, a prolonged loss of power can be detrimental to the health of those requiring…

Have you ever suddenly realized you are part of something special? This happened to me today during a video call with other members of the Bionews Insights (BNI) team. BNI is a relatively new division of our company, Bionews, focused on market research. The team is small, but this…

Two weeks after my mom, Holly’s, double-lung transplant, she was discharged from the hospital. Although she was weak, she was walking, talking, eating, and, best of all, breathing on her own. After three months on a ventilator, the transplant brought her back to life.

The dry, persistent cough associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is arguably the most difficult symptom of this life-threatening lung disease. Pulmonary fibrosis is defined simply as scarring in the lung, which always is progressive in patients with IPF. Unfortunately, there is nothing simple about this disease, and the scarring…

As a person living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic respiratory condition characterized by progressive scarring of the lungs and reduced oxygen, I’ve been wearing a mask for years in public places. Learning to wear a mask to protect my now-compromised lungs was difficult for me, so I…

The correct way to talk about lung transplantation in relation to pulmonary fibrosis is to call it a “treatment.” I learned this early in my caregiving journey through a combination of education from my mom’s medical team and a few not-so-gentle comments from strangers when, in…

As parts of the world begin to partially open up again amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t help but feel fearful and anxious. Those of us with chronic respiratory illnesses like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) must regularly take precautions to avoid getting sick throughout the entire year. However, the…

I have always advocated for good mental health and promoted the importance of self-care. I preach regularly about this to friends, family, colleagues, and other patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Since being diagnosed with this life-threatening lung disease, my physical health has been a priority. I do…

As I sat in my mom’s hospital room on the day of her long-awaited discharge, I felt like we were bringing home a very fragile adult baby. Her body had been through a series of assaults starting with an acute exacerbation of IPF and ending with a double-lung transplant.