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.
Frequent appointments and testing are part of life with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). I’ve been living with IPF for eight years now, but the number of those appointments and tests can still overwhelm me, especially as I’m…
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Since the start of the pandemic, levels of stress, frustration, and confusion have risen to troubling levels. It seems that many of us also are experiencing more concern over new, rapidly spreading coronavirus variants. When I first heard…
At a recent hospital appointment, I was asked to complete a survey about my experience. As a patient with a chronic illness, I am at the hospital a lot and am regularly asked to complete surveys. While they sometimes…
I thrive in an organized and structured environment. As a young adult, I guess I’m a creature of habit and predictability, but my parents say I’ve always been this way. Last April, I wrote a column about the importance…
It happens far too often in the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community: the unexpected and sudden loss of a fellow patient. I’ve lost some dear friends since my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis nearly five years ago, and it never…
While I don’t have a medical background or degree, I have learned a lot in the past few years about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Much of that learning comes from other patients, either via the Pulmonary Fibrosis News…
As a columnist for Bionews, I try to write about a variety of topics pertaining to patients living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), even those that are taboo or difficult to talk about. Not only is this an…
Many have noted that the recent holiday season was difficult due to the pandemic, as large family gatherings were discouraged. In some places, Christmas was canceled altogether. Two years ago, I wrote about the difficulty of holiday seasons for…
This holiday season will be far different from previous ones. Because we are still in the midst of a global health crisis that won’t be resolved by Christmas, families must make difficult decisions about how to celebrate the holiday…
I recently celebrated another birthday, my fourth since being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Prior to adding “rare disease patient” to my list of personal identities, I never cared much about birthdays. Now, I embrace them and…
I have always been uplifted and inspired by stories of hope, resilience, and people overcoming challenges. I would argue that many others feel the same way, because as humans, we all crave connection with one another, and stories are…
The words “palliative care” often frighten those of us living with a life-threatening illness. This is because the term historically has been associated with end-of-life care due to its link with hospice care. But the two terms were formally…
Learning to use supplemental oxygen as a young adult was arguably the hardest part of my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis. My life changed once I required the help of a plastic tube with two prongs up…
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