“Did you wash your hands?” That’s a question I was very familiar with long before the COVID-19 pandemic. My mom, Diana, is an obsessive hand-washer. She is also obsessive about making sure everyone else does it. She’ll merely sense my dad’s craving for…
The Emotional Support Daughter – a Column by Emma Schmitz
Care-cation: an extended stay in a place away from home to care for a loved one in need. In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, we had a week or so to find a six-week-long rental in San Francisco that could house my mom, Diana, who…
On a beautiful Thursday afternoon late last May, my partner and I took the dogs swimming at our secret spot at a nearby reservoir. A sailboat gliding across the water made me reminisce about sailing in the San Francisco Bay while growing up. The first…
I was finally at that mature stage in life when you go to beer festivals with your mother. (Oh, that’s not a thing?) On a windy fall day in October 2016, my mom, Diana, and I dressed up as pirates and got…
Your PF Community
Recent Posts
- IPF drug Esbriet lowers risk of irregular heartbeats by nearly 90%, per study February 11, 2026
- Every patient’s journey with IPF is part of a unique mystery February 10, 2026
- New IPF therapy modulates genes tied to inflammation and scarring February 4, 2026
- My journey with PF and transplant means lifelong medical surveillance February 3, 2026
- Learning about the link between autoimmune disease and PF January 29, 2026
