Charlene Marshall is a fiercely independent 30-something-year-old who can’t sit still. She loves coffee, wine tasting, playing with her dog, and spending time on the beach with her family. She’s a lover of all things travel, and never passes up an opportunity for a dip in the ocean! A proud Canadian, Charlene was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2016 after 13 months of investigation into sudden shortness of breath, a chronic cough, and unusual fatigue. IPF has forced her to slow down, but she’s slowly learning the value of quality versus quantity in everything she does.
When I first began experiencing symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), my condition worsened quickly and kept me from doing many activities I enjoyed. And yet, it took 13 months for me to receive a diagnosis.
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When you are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the choices about how you live your life suddenly becomes illuminated. Since IPF literally steals a patient’s ability to breathe, the prognosis of…
As someone living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I have enjoyed connecting with others on a similar illness trajectory as me, as well as those living with different kinds of illnesses, including different forms of pulmonary fibrosis.
The “Spoon Theory” is a tool that you might find helpful when explaining your chronic illness and the limited energy it allows you for completing activities of daily living. The Spoon Theory uses spoons as a visual…
Working with a life-threatening illness such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is difficult to manage, regardless of whether that work is full- or part-time. Exhaustion, illness, and hospitalizations often get in the way of being able to complete…
It has been just over a month since the successful launch of the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums, and we have many of you to thank. The activity created on these new forums tells us that this type…
If you have been reading my previous columns, you might recall that at the beginning of the new year, I decided to write a gratitude piece as each month in 2018 comes to a close. It…
Some people would call me unlucky to have life-threatening idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) at the age of 28. Even more would agree that I have bad luck if they knew that the prognosis for this disease was three…
Today, Feb. 28, is Rare Disease Day. Rare Disease Day is a movement founded by EURODIS, a nonprofit alliance that is the voice for people living with rare diseases in Europe. Since its inception in 2008,…
Those immersed in the world of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) know how quickly things can change from stable to critical. Regardless of whether you are a patient, caregiver, friend, or advocate, it comes as no surprise to…
In the past, I thought anxiety entailed someone feeling upset, worried, or nervous. I thought it was situation-based, meaning something triggered it. And I thought anxiety usually manifested in a physical way that was visible to others, such…
If you have read my previous columns, you are likely aware that my life before being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was very different than it is now. This is something I often write about…
Living with a life-threatening illness like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) evokes a plethora of feelings throughout the course of the disease. Some are positive. At times, a patient is content, grateful, or hopeful. Other times, the feelings…
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