This Rare Disease Day, make your voice heard with elected officials
Here in the U.S., there is an effort underway to reduce the size of the government. You may not know that, in addition to writing this column, I’m also a senior moderator for the…
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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The PACT Act is finally connecting veterans’ toxic exposure to PF care
Each year, at the 11th minute of the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a calendar alarm sounds on my phone. It recalls the signing of the armistice…
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Recent snowfall reminds me of how I’ve had to accept limitations
Winter storm warning. Those three simple words never bothered me much until I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Afterward, those words defeated me. They were an indication of things I could…
Finding calm in high-pressure moments of medical chaos
Have you seen the T-shirt or sign that reads “Keep Calm and Carry On” (KCCO)? You might be surprised to learn the story behind this phrase. Created in 1939, it was part…
When we share our experiences with IPF, it’s not a competition
We’re not all the same. When I share details about my journey with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I don’t want to give the impression that I’m setting a standard. My goal in writing…
Dealing with grief is unique to each of us in the PF community
Grief is a universally understood emotion. How that emotion is individually expressed is unique. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I was 59 years old. I’d experienced loss by…
Why fact-checking is important in the rare disease world
How big is the internet? I could just say that it’s big, but I want to provide some facts to shed additional light on the topic. According to Health IT, the internet is anticipated…
The Los Angeles fires remind us to be prepared for emergencies
Rapidly spreading wildfires have taken over the news headlines from the Los Angeles area, as I write this column. Dry weather and the Santa Ana winds joined forces to create an inferno there.
Keeping new year’s resolutions that affect pulmonary fibrosis
Do you make resolutions for the new year? A revealing joke on the subject has been around for years. In it, an entrepreneur opens and stocks a gym on New Year’s Day to support…
Ways to handle the isolation that can come with the holidays
The holidays have arrived, which reminds of those passenger-side mirrors that read, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” It wasn’t too long ago that the holidays seemed far away, yet here they…
Dealing with grief during a season of joy
Good grief! When I hear this two-word phrase, I often associate it with the cartoon character Charlie Brown. Otherwise, the words “good” and “grief” seldom seem to belong together. What do you…
This holiday season, I’m honoring the gift of time
Welcome to December. Wait, what? How is it December? Time seemed to move in slow motion during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it’s already the end of 2024. In 1974, the…
My tips for a safe holiday before and after transplant
Families will gather this week to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S. But how do you safely navigate a large family gathering when colds, the flu, and COVID-19 are all circulating? When I was…
