30 Days of PH: Growing Up With A Mom With PH

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by Jen Cueva |

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Day 11 of 30 Days of PH⁣⠀ ⁣Topic: Growing up with a mom with PH ⁣⠀ ⁣This is Kayla’s story @adventure.nutritionist⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I’m the daughter of a mother with Pulmonary Hypertension. In other words, I am the daughter of a resilient woman who is a fighter 365 days a year. It’s no surprise that I’ve held grudges, asked “why my mom”, been bitter, and emotional over the years. I don’t think there are many things worse than watching your mother suffer and it be completely out of your control. But, rather than focus on the negatives, I’ll be the reflection of my mother and share some positives.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I remember when my mother first became sick, we’d sing “ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low” together after doctors’ appointments. It’s no secret that we make the best out of everything, we’ve shared many memories and become best friends along the way. There’s something truly interesting about a relationship when you add a twist of fear of losing each other in there.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ For instance, we had a fear that she wouldn’t be there at my high school graduation. Instead, she fought her way to my college graduation. She had a hidden fund for when the day came when I’d get married but instead… God guided her down that aisle on my wedding day. I cherish our coffee dates, Netflix couch days, 60 calls on a daily basis or our quick getaways.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ ⁣Something I find interesting is my mom often brings up “feeling guilty about me having to deal with all of this”. But what she doesn’t recognize is that I’ve grown into the woman I am by watching her be a strong and positive woman who leaves her mark everywhere she goes. Because of her, I’ve developed a mindset that “you only live one life” and I go out and chase dreams like tomorrow is my last day.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Pulmonary hypertension has created an environment where our family focuses on quality time, loving each other harder, and forgiving more easily. Although I would have loved my mom to not develop this terrible disease, I am thankful for the ability to pull our family even closer and help us grow as individuals.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #30daysofPH #family #strongwomen

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About the Author

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Jen Cueva Jen Cueva lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and daughter. Jen worked in nursing before the script changed upon her diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), group 1, in 2005. Advocacy has been essential to her life. Her passion is to instill hope and remind others in the PH community that they are not alone. To do this, she serves as a forum moderator for Pulmonary Hypertension News and in her weekly column she delves into the roller coaster of emotions that accompany PH. It is powerful and meaningful to her to have this opportunity to play a role in helping others become more informed and educated so they are more empowered in their journey. Together, we PHight stronger!

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30DaysofPH, family, strongwomen

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