Bittersweet Memories of My Mom on Mother’s Day

Another Mother’s Day is upon us. As each year comes round, it seems that I think about my mother more and more. My mom passed away on June 27, 2007. She suffered a fractured pelvis from which she didn’t fully recover. Afterward, she lived with ongoing pain and contracted frequent…

Exposure to cigarette smoking and lipopolysaccharides, components of the cell wall of certain bacteria, can lead to more severe lung fibrosis, a mouse study shows. The study, “Cigarette smoke exposure combined with lipopolysaccharides induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice,” was published in the journal Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology.

It’s reasonable to assume that dizziness would be a common symptom of having poorly functioning lungs due to chronic underoxygenation. However, now that my lungs are weak thanks to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the causes of my particular symptoms are more complicated. I have had occasional bouts of dizziness in…

It started with a cough that just wouldn’t go away. Many of you probably know what that cough feels like. I don’t. I do, however, know what it feels like to learn that harsh, persistent cough isn’t just allergies or a lingering cold. I know what it feels like to…

A long-term collaboration was announced to accelerate the discovery of new medicines for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) by combining BenevolentAI’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with AstraZeneca’s pharmaceutical and clinical data. BenevolentAI, a U.K.-based company, developed an AI system…

It is inevitable that people living with a chronic illness will experience days that are difficult, both physically and mentally. Since being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) three years ago, I’ve had many of these days. Fear of the future with this disease, physical limitations or restrictions because of failing…

Cumbersome security procedures, rising airfares, and shrinking legroom have made commercial air travel difficult enough these days — even for healthy passengers. Imagine how much harder it is for patients with rare diseases who must get to doctors’ appointments or clinical trials that are hundreds of miles away from home.

In preparation for my trip to Europe, I have intensified my fitness routine. My routine is already fairly grueling for a lung transplant patient. But in anticipation of extended walking periods, including hills and steps, I feel I have to up my workouts to two times a day, three to…