Our response to a PF diagnosis was achieving a ‘life beyond limits’

Hello! My name is Kylene Henderson, and I’m excited to be writing a new column for Pulmonary Fibrosis News called “Life Beyond Limits.” In it, I hope to share some of the challenges our family has faced and the lessons we’ve learned since my husband Donnie’s pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis a few years ago.

In 2021, Donnie and I were the busy parents of two young daughters in a chaotic post-pandemic world. We spent our weeknights coaching our daughter’s elementary basketball team, and our weekends were filled with games and tournaments. Life was busy, but we were having a blast.

Around this time, Donnie began experiencing strange and unrelenting pulmonary symptoms. A barky cough had slowly emerged, and he often felt short of breath with even mild exercise. He first attributed these symptoms to allergies and possible deconditioning, but they continued to progress.

Recommended Reading

November 20, 2025 Columns by Kylene Henderson

Remaining hopeful through a difficult diagnosis

The first two doctors we visited diagnosed him with asthma, but after months of progressive symptoms and no relief, my husband made an appointment with a new doctor for a third opinion. That same day, he received a referral to a pulmonologist, an order for a high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) scan, and a prescription for supplemental oxygen. At that time, Donnie was only 37 years old.

The HRCT showed that he had scarring in his lungs, and additional testing determined the cause to be underlying autoimmune issues. He was referred to doctors at the nearest clinic specializing in interstitial lung disease.

Thanks to an excellent medical team, Donnie is doing very well today. While the fibrosis he has is permanent, his symptoms have eased significantly with treatment, and he is much more comfortable. Thanks to good medical care and medications, his lung function has remained stable for over two years, and we are very grateful. We do the best we can to live as normally as possible, and when life seems to say something isn’t achievable, we’re both stubborn enough to rack our brains for an alternate solution.

In the years since his diagnosis, we’ve learned how to work as a family to keep everyone as healthy as possible, and all four of us have spent our fair share of days in quarantine when the inevitable influenza or COVID-19 virus finds our house. Those days are always stressful, but we do our best to get through them with a positive attitude and a little ingenuity. We’ve FaceTimed during family dinners, had quarantine sleepovers, and masked up for a movie night. It might seem strange to other families, but our kids know that taking extra precautions helps keep my husband healthy and out of the hospital.

We’ve traveled to the Rocky Mountains for the first time as a family, tackled amusement parks, and splashed around in water parks. Through our experiences, we have learned that so much is possible with a little creativity.

In this column, I hope to share what we’ve learned along the way. Life may look a little different now, but we’re still having fun and looking forward to many more adventures together!

Note: Pulmonary Fibrosis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pulmonary Fibrosis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to pulmonary fibrosis.