Have you ever read a book that totally resonated with you? One that reflects who you are and enables you to see yourself in the words? I love to read a variety of genres but tend to lean toward self-improvement, technical publications, and real-life stories. A longtime friend of mine, following…
Make Every Breath Count – a Column by Samuel Kirton
When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017, I began to tackle the steep learning curve almost immediately. I may never reach the summit, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up. There is always something to learn, and I acquire new knowledge on a regular basis.
Sept. 12 is always an exciting day in our house. It’s the birthday of my wife, Susan, for one thing. And it’s also our wedding anniversary. While I won’t disclose Susan’s age for my safety, I can share that it’s our 13th anniversary. For more than half of our married life,…
When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017, I wasn’t familiar with the disease, so I set out to learn everything I could about it. I wanted to understand each test I would undergo and each medication I was taking. After receiving the gift…
What an interesting month August has been. Regular readers of my column may recall that the month started with a discussion of a new comorbidity in my post-transplant world. In subsequent columns, I wrote about how to explain your chronic illness, responding when opportunity knocks, and…
The end of life is a period fraught with emotion. Losing someone who touched our lives creates a sudden void. I’ve witnessed alliances form following the passing of a family member, usually because there are opposing views of what the recently deceased would want. These rifts don’t always heal. But…
Writing “Make Every Breath Count” for you each week is an opportunity for me to share my journey, which is a form of therapy for me. It’s an outlet to process my experiences with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and receiving a bilateral lung transplant. Recently, my column…
Some of the most important interactions in our professional lives do not occur at work, at the boardroom table, or even in an office. Often, they occur during brief introductions or chance meetings. The challenge for business leaders regardless of industry is how to briefly explain to someone what they…
The idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) journey is, if nothing else, full of surprises. Some of those surprises come in the form of comorbidities, which could be a result of age, a suppressed immune system, or simply luck of the draw. The comorbidities we face are as unique as we…
When is a larger number the better choice? It depends. Recently, I’ve noticed some people in the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community embracing numbers in studies without understanding their context. In terms of dollars, bigger numbers are better if you’re talking about savings, but smaller numbers are better if you’re…
