Make Every Breath Count
— Samuel Kirton

My mother passed away in the final hours of Thanksgiving Day three years ago. Just a week before that, I lost my stepsister, too. Understandably, it was a time of deep loss for me. At the time, COVID-19 was spreading at an alarming rate, so, like many others, I…

Early last week, the temperature here at Lake Anna, Virginia, was in the mid-80s, which was uncharacteristic for an October afternoon. By the end of the week, the highs were barely above 50 F, and frost would greet the morning sun. I started each day with a sense of awe…

Today is traditionally a day for trick-or-treating, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, hay rides, and of course, pumpkin “chunkin’”. I have always enjoyed Halloween, the scariest day of the year for many. I mentioned last week that my wife, Susan, and I host a Halloween costume party each year. Costumed partygoers and…

The pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community is not a stranger to stress. Regardless of your role, whether as a patient, caregiver, or transplant recipient, you’ve likely experienced it. The stress could be white coat syndrome or come from a test, procedure, or the many unknowns associated with living…

In a single month, I’ve had three vaccinations, three medical procedures requiring anesthesia, two lab tests, one dental appointment, one pentamidine treatment, one appointment at the pulmonary clinic, and one pulmonary function test. As I’ve noted before, life after lung transplant is busy with medical surveillance. I…

“Hello darkness, my old friend/ I’ve come to talk with you again/ Because a vision softly creeping/ Left its seeds while I was sleeping/ And the vision that was planted in my brain/ Still remains/ Within the sound of silence.” Those words are from the song “The Sound of…

Today, I’m wrapping up another trip around the sun. On Oct. 4, 1957, the day I was born, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, Earth’s first artificial satellite. I’ve often wondered if there’s any relationship between my birthday and my love of space. Astronomy was my science during my…

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…

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…