How is it December already? In the retail world, the holiday season seems to begin earlier every year. It felt like ads for Thanksgiving and Christmas started airing around Labor Day this year here in the United States. Last year, I noticed my thoughts turned to my donor family more…
Make Every Breath Count
— Samuel Kirton
Sam Kirton started his column in November 2021 and writes from his home at Lake Anna, Virginia, where he lives with his wife Susan. His diagnosis at age 59 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017 began a journey of awareness and advocacy. Sam was listed for a lung transplant on March 19, 2021 and received a bilateral lung transplant on July 10, 2021. This was quite the change from his career as a special agent for the Office of Special Investigations and as a corporate security executive. Sam plans to share his journey so you, too, can make every breath count. You can follow Sam’s thoughts on LinkedIn.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) touches many aspects of both our professional and personal lives. One of the earliest recognitions of AI dates back more than 75 years to when Alan Turing, an English mathematician and computer scientist, pondered the question, “Can machines think?” Today, the answer seems closer to…
The holiday season is upon us! Here in the United States, Thanksgiving was last week, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade heralded the arrival of Santa Claus. But November, for the past two years, has been a month of loss for me. COVID-19 and transplant In March 2020, the reality…
The pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patient population would likely become unhinged without the oversight of our caregivers. They have one of the hardest roles in the PF community. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, my wife, Susan, was sitting by my side. For…
Rail travel has long been shrouded in both mystery and romance. English novelist Agatha Christie famously wrote “Murder on the Orient Express,” a tale of intrigue involving one of her most famous characters, Hercule Poirot. American singer-songwriter Steve Goodman originally wrote and recorded “City of New Orleans,” a song about…
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients often require a multidisciplinary team to manage their care. My IPF journey has been shaped by all the medical professionals I’ve encountered along the way. I was formally diagnosed on Jan. 31, 2017, at the Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant…
A change in seasons is underway here in Virginia, and across the mid-Atlantic. Trees that were once lush and green are now exploding with fiery red, burnt orange, and golden hues. All of those leaves have also begun to fall from the trees to the ground. Firewood is stacked and…
When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, it felt like my entire world had shrunk. My wife and caregiver, Susan, and I were suddenly alone on an island. I’m confident many feel this way after receiving a diagnosis. However, a rare, incurable disease can…
Those who follow my column know that one of my passions is cooking. It always has been. My wife, Susan, and I usually eat meals I prepare using little to no prepackaged ingredients. Dinner usually included wine for me. But what I can eat and drink changed on July…
How many times have you heard someone start a story with “before the pandemic”? It has become a common refrain for the past two-plus years. While my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and a pandemic don’t make good bedfellows, they joined forces to eliminate one of our passions, travel. Before…
While working on today’s column, I considered writing about my birthday on Oct. 4. Then, a topic came to me quite unexpectedly. On Monday, Sept. 26, I had to go to the hospital. Since the pandemic began, I’ve been careful to avoid large crowds in enclosed spaces and to…
“While walking on the beach yesterday, I realized how I’m feeling about PF, in general, is like the tide. There are times like now that I’m riding the high tide, full of energy about taking on PF activities (hosting PF get-togethers, participating in fundraising walks). Then the water is gone,…
I’ve spent much of my working life conducting investigations. As a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and in a second career providing security and investigative services under contract to the federal government, the cases all had similar objectives. Simply stated, any investigation needs to answer…
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