Ann Reynoso lives in Alvin, Texas, working and volunteering as a patient advocate for those with disabilities and communities that struggle with inequalities in health and social care. She was diagnosed at age 53 on December 2019 with lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. Her wonderful support team includes her husband and daughter. She writes both to regain a sense of achievement, post-diagnosis, and to make sure no one feels alone in their journey of navigating rare illness.
Veterans Day is approaching on Nov. 11, and most of us know someone who served in the military. For this column, I’d like to honor someone who left behind some promising words of the highest degree. During a…
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Have you ever had the nagging feeling that a gray cloud was hanging over your head? For the past three years and 10 months, I’ve felt such a cloud. It comes from being labeled and stigmatized for my disability.
At the beginning of this year, I was told to start pulmonary rehabilitation to help with my pulmonary fibrosis (PF). I was prescribed 12 sessions as an outpatient, which would take six weeks (two sessions a week)…
Despite having a support group and talking with others who have the same condition, I haven’t gleaned everything I need to know about pulmonary fibrosis. I’m still walking in the shadows of this disease, trying to find a…
I always try to find meaning and purpose in the smallest of things, and that practice led me to a realization the other weekend. I was trying to nurse back to health one of our hens, which had become…
One of my fears about my pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP) is how vulnerable I am to catching any virus that presents itself. I recently had to face this fear. I’m finally returning after…
Dealing with the financial expenses associated with having a rare or chronic illness like pulmonary fibrosis (PF) can be tough. I’m responsible for making sure that I receive all the PF treatments available to me, but I’ve…
My health journey began with a rare illness called lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP). Coping with the diagnosis was hard, but I knew I could do it. What I didn’t expect was that I’d have to handle several…
Having a rare disease results in many complex problems, some of which can be debilitating. This has been my experience over the past six months as I’ve struggled with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and heart issues due to…
New Year’s resolutions are an annual tradition for many of us. We make promises to ourselves to do something better in the year. But this year, I’ve decided to do something different: Instead of resolutions, I plan to make…
Curveball is a baseball term, but it also can apply to life when something surprising or unexpected happens. It’s been several months since my last column, and in that time, life has thrown me a curveball. I’ve been…
I have begun a new, educational phase in my life: I’m working to become a patient advocate. Honestly, I’d never thought about patient advocacy until I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in December 2019. But…
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