The need for naps tends to evolve throughout one’s lifetime. When my kids were babies, it was good to let their young bodies rest midday, giving their parents a break and helping them gradually adjust to longer days. As they got older, they outgrew the need for naps. I had…
Make Every Breath Count – a Column by Samuel Kirton
Are you familiar with the phrase “one size fits all?” When you see it, how do you react? For me, unless it’s on a baseball cap with an adjustable strap, I’m skeptical. But I’m not always a skeptic. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in…
Someone out there holds the key piece of evidence needed to advance research toward a better therapy, treatment, or cure for interstitial lung diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Since my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) nearly 10 years ago, I have met some of the smartest people…
Are you familiar with the website Healthgrades? The site allows patients to search for medical professionals and lets them rate their experience with a specific provider. The ratings, or grades, range from 1 to 5 stars. You can read about other patients’ experiences before making an appointment. When I…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Ozempic (semaglutide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. As a person diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who received a bilateral lung transplant in July 2021,…
A 24-hour news cycle, a lack of civil discourse, people who believe their needs are a priority, and the stress of a chronic, progressive disease with no cure: These things, and many more, contribute to the noise that fills my every waking hour. When I was diagnosed with…
Have you ever woken up in a strange mood and, before your feet hit the floor, found yourself wondering what caused it? I recently experienced that; I was feeling melancholy, and the Dean Lewis song “How Do I Say Goodbye” came to mind. Someone I knew recently passed…
“How can I help you?” When was the last time you heard those five simple words? My next question may be even harder to answer: When was the last time you asked someone how you could help them? When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January…
A single decision, likely made in a split second by someone I’d never met, saved my life. On the morning of July 9, 2021, I received a call that donor lungs were available for me, and my future went from impossible to possible. When I was diagnosed on Jan.
No one would voluntarily join the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community. After all, who would want to be a part of the rare disease world? When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017, the idea of a disease-specific community seemed elusive. Most people I knew…
