Have you ever glanced at the passenger-side mirror and noticed the message written on it? Objects are closer than they appear. The mirror makes objects appear farther away than they actually are. That warning summarizes my week. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017,…
Make Every Breath Count – a Column by Samuel Kirton
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with various medications. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. What do you do while you wait for your current condition to improve? Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed…
In case you hadn’t noticed, I didn’t file a column last week. I missed you and feel like I need to explain. My body told me I needed to take a break. I had back-to-back medical appointments that left me wiped out, so I decided to listen to my body.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is emerging as a “hot spot” for drug development research, according to the nonprofit CheckOrphan, which notes that “investor and industry interest is accelerating.” A May 2026 article on the organization’s website notes recent activity by Avalyn Pharma, which has secured $100 million in…
Rehabilitation from serious health setbacks is hard. This week has repeatedly proven that to me. Since being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I’ve learned a lot about the disease. But I haven’t learned everything yet. During my IPF journey, I wasn’t hospitalized after my…
I’m home, at last, after a 17-day hospital stay where I was treated for shingles. Oddly enough, after it was determined by my care team that I was a viable candidate for a lung transplant following my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I was…
Have you ever wondered what a columnist for Pulmonary Fibrosis News does while being hospitalized for 17 days? First, I focused on getting better. Second, I asked many questions of those caring for me. Finally, as I met other medical specialists, I asked them what they knew about…
I feel like I’m in a long scene from the classic movie “The Neverending Story,” and the dark force is shingles. As I write this, I’m still hospitalized while my care team works to address the complications of this infection in a post-transplant patient. I’m determined to write this…
A funny thing happened the other day on the way to the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums. In the blink of an eye, everything changed, and off I went to the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. I should start at the beginning. On June 12, I began…
Storytelling is a learning tool as old as time. History is made up of eyewitness accounts and recollections of a certain time or place, often augmented by official records. I’ve seen discussions recently on social media and in the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums asking for people to describe the…
