Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022

New Year, Same Chronically Ill Me

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Ever since I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I have hated this time of year. I refuse to make any resolutions, and I usually take some time away ... Read more

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022

Pets Can Help Care for the Caregivers

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Three of my family members are very high maintenance. They rely on me for just about everything, and whine if I don’t help them right away. They constantly do things ... Read more

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022

Thyroid Disease Played a Prominent Role in My PH Journey

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

In 19 years of living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), the period of greatest illness I experienced was during my sophomore year in college. It was the only time in college ... Read more

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022

My Son Loves His Extraordinarily Ordinary Post-transplant Life

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Following years of slow decline due to pulmonary hypertension (PH), by 2014, my son Cullen was in critical health, and our hopes were fading. Thankfully, a heart and double-lung transplant ... Read more

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021

A Resolution to Keep Celebrating the Small Things

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

I was hospitalized following my heart-lung transplant in 2018 One of the biggest emotional burdens was experiencing the passage of time, which was most notably marked by the holidays. Halloween ... Read more

December 29, 2021December 29, 2021

My 2021 Reflections: It’s Been a Wild Ride

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

As another year comes to an end, I reflect on memories from 2021. Since my pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis, I desire reflection more each year. Those of us with rare ... Read more

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021

Managing My Health Through the Holidays

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Like many people, I have always treasured the holidays. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s feel like a time for joy, community, and celebration. The holidays can also be ... Read more

December 15, 2021December 15, 2021

To Celebrate the Holiday Season, I’m Viewing It Through a Child’s Eyes

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” ― Chris Van Allsburg, “The Polar Express” When I was young, my ... Read more

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021

Let’s Talk About Why Managing PH Feels Like Herding Cats

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

It turns out that National Cat Herders Day is an occasion people celebrate. Observed on Dec. 15, it’s a day to recognize people who achieve the impossible as part of ... Read more

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021

Shifting Priorities Is Key to Being Comfortable in My Chronically Ill Body

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

For the first few years after I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I always felt an ongoing battle between the desire to go out and have fun ... Read more

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021

A PH Sibling’s Journey From Childhood to Adulthood

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Parents of children with pulmonary hypertension (PH) commonly express concern about the emotional and developmental effects on their healthy offspring. They worry about how their healthy children deal with feelings ... Read more

December 6, 2021December 6, 2021

The Old Memories of Flying With PH Still Linger

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

My son had just been diagnosed with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH), and he had a wish — and it involved flying. “I would like to meet George W. Bush, ... Read more

November 30, 2021November 30, 2021

Investing in Home Healthcare Will Support Patients, Caregivers

COVID-19 Columns, Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

The tightness creeps up in my lungs just as I’m about to make up the bed with a second clean sheet. I pause to catch my breath and wonder how ... Read more

November 29, 2021November 29, 2021

How to Make Christmas Happy for a Child in the Hospital

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

To quote the famous holiday song, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go” — including at the hospital.  Over the years, there were many times I ... Read more

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021

Allowing My Faith to Help Me Manage PH

Pulmonary Hypertension News Columns

Last week, one of my morning devotionals left me in deep thought for most of the day. It was about apologizing for everything that makes you the one-of-a-kind person you ... Read more