Since I received my IPF diagnosis about 16 months ago, there have been many times when things in my life have felt out of my control. For example, I neither can control how rapidly my disease is progressing, nor the physical limitations that I have due to…
Finding Ways to Regain Some Control Since My Diagnosis
Did you know that pulmonary fibrosis takes as many lives as breast cancer or prostate cancer? However, unlike breast and prostate cancer, there is no remission and treatment can only ease the symptoms. Elicia Shepard is one person trying to raise the profile of the disease and in this…
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is marking Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month in September with a range of festivities across the United States. Some of the activities will allow patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to share their stories and knowledge with each other. The first event will be the inaugural walk…
Ten-year-old Abigayle Clarke from Alberta, Canada has received an award for her work raising awareness for the chronic lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis (PF). MORE: Nine steps for managing pulmonary fibrosis. According to an article on airdriecityview.ca, the youngster wanted to do something to help her…
Researchers at New York’s Columbia University have developed a new way of restoring lung function by replacing airway surface cells in a scaffold containing supportive cells and blood vessels — an approach that offers promise in treating lung diseases and improving lung transplant survival rates. Their study, “Functional vascularized…
If you’re a member of the PF community, you’re well aware of how little the general public knows about the disease. It’s important that we all work together to raise awareness. Awareness results in more fundraising efforts, which means more dollars, which means more research, and eventually, hopefully, that means…
Yesterday I had a difficult experience. It began when our electricity went out as it was turning dark. We didn’t know the cause of the power outage, or how long it would be out. We later learned that a tree in the neighborhood fell down and took…
The influence of smoking on the course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is complex, and a recent study did not manage to significantly disentangle the relationship. While smoking appeared to influence the onset of IPF, with current smokers falling ill at a younger age, the study found no impact of smoking…
Sometimes when people ask me, “What do you need” or “What can I do to help,” I feel like a broken record since my response is usually, “I don’t know.” I wish I did know what I need when I am in a poor emotional state, sobbing uncontrollably about…
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, there are seven major airway clearance techniques (ACTs) for patients with lung disease. Airway clearance is needed to help clear away mucus from the lungs to help prevent infections and to improve lung function. Children will need an adult to assist with ACTs, and…
