Courage to Care — Christie Patient

In March 2019, my mom, Holly, got a second chance at life. Her bilateral lung transplant was a gift of the highest order. It saved and prolonged her life when nothing else would. It gave her body back…

As soon as my mom, Holly, was out of the hospital following her bilateral lung transplant, our family began efforts to protect her immunocompromised body. Before she even got the call about available donor lungs, the University of…

In the three weeks between my boyfriend Jonny’s proposal and our spontaneous elopement, we daydreamed about a big wedding. We decided to get married before he left for a year of training and school with the Army. Despite our…

If I asked you to identify yourself, what would you say? “My name is …” “I am a …” “I work as a …” “I was born in …” There are an infinite number of ways to define and…

Progressive lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis cause ripple effects throughout the body. In PF, lung scarring prevents the organs from exchanging gases correctly, resulting in oxygen deficits known as hypoxemia and hypoxia. Chronic hypoxemia, or low…

When someone receives a life-changing diagnosis, it can feel like their world is caving in. A diagnosis changes a person’s landscape, alters their expectations, and obstructs their former worldview. Some people understand what this is like, while…

I’ve been thinking a lot about growth lately. And about how even as we grow up and find out who we are, we never stop changing. It can be hard to face change or to reinvent…

In the year before my mom, Holly, underwent a double-lung transplant due to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), “caregiver” felt like a cursed word to us. When my mom was diagnosed, the nurse care coordinator…

Breathing exercises are an important part of pulmonary rehabilitation. These exercises help keep the lungs healthy and uphold the integrity of the muscles we use to breathe. Practicing these when you have pulmonary fibrosis helps your pulmonary system…

I have mixed feelings about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s not what you might expect, though. I am not conflicted about whether I should get it. I am not afraid or suspicious of it. I don’t think the vaccine’s…

I have a problem with inertia. The forces that get my engine firing seem to start late, work slowly, and then combust and burn all at once. It’s a long fuse to a full gas tank. Forget…

Last month we moved into our new home in Hawaii. My husband, Jonny, flew back to the mainland immediately for several months of Army training, so I was left to get settled on my own. I started tearing through…