Colleen Steele,  —

Colleen Steele was born and raised in New Jersey, and received a bachelor of arts in English from Immaculata University in 1994. She lives in Washington state with her husband and two sons. Her oldest child was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension when he was 8. At 14, he received a heart and double-lung transplant. Colleen’s love for writing, experience advocating for her son, and determination to spread PH awareness inspired her to become a columnist and forums moderator for Pulmonary Hypertension News in 2019. In her column, “Life as a Caregiver,” Colleen is open and honest about caring for her son, his PH experiences, and life post-transplant. It is her ambition to educate and inspire others facing similar challenges.

Articles by Colleen Steele

As Cullen Turns 21, We Celebrate Another Milestone

Adulting is hard. As children, we look forward to the freedom to make our own decisions, but being responsible for ourselves isn’t always as satisfying as we thought it would be. Even those blessed with a supportive family and friends are still affected by the choices they make. There are…

30 Days of PH: I Have PH And Walked A 5K

Day 15 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: I Have PH And Walked A 5K ⁣ This is Aubrey’s story My Name is Aubrey Stout and I’m 39 years old. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension on January 10, 2010, when I was…

30 Days of PH: Why Give Up Now?

Day 14 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: Why Give Up Now? This is Jon’s story I have Pulmonary Hypertension. To be specific, I have secondary pulmonary hypertension due to a congenital heart defect, transportation of the great arteries. I also have congestive heart failure as a complication of…

30 Days of PH: Life in 25ft.

Day 12 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: Life in 25ft. This is Tracey’s story @tracey.lawrence   I was diagnosed with PH almost a year ago. The diagnosis came in rather traumatic circumstances with me going into respiratory arrest and heart failure following a routine IV…

30 Days of PH: PH Changed My Life For The Better

  Day 11 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: PH Changed My Life For The Better ⁣ This is Sarah’s story @sizemore.37   My name is Sarah Sizemore, I am 19 and I have Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). This severe and life-threatening illness progresses with time.

30 Days of PH: 19 Years And Counting

Day 10 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: 19 Years And Counting This is Shannon’s story 19 years on May 31, 2001, my life changed forever. I was a couple of days away from graduating kindergarten and my parents were told I had roughly three to six months…

Finding Balance Between Optimism and Pessimism

There are times in life when I believe it is necessary to sit on the fence between optimism and pessimism. A pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis and the battle that follows is one of those situations. My husband, Brian, recently put a creative spin on this perspective when he participated…

30 Days of PH: Quality of Life Improved By Potts Shunt Surgery

Day 8 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: Quality of Life Improved By Potts Shunt Surgery⁣ This is Jennica’s story @jenn2104   Our 14-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension when she was 3 years old. After complaining of “her heart hurting” we took…

30 Days of PH: Why I Raise Awareness

Day 7 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: Why I Raise Awareness ⁣ This is Barbara’s story The main thing pulmonary hypertension patients have in common is being misdiagnosed for too long. Prior to my diagnosis, my husband, Chuck, took me to 14 doctors. I…

30 Days of PH: Organizing PH

Day 6 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: Organizing PH ⁣ This is Jane’s story @Jane_Northrop   My daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with Eisenmenger’s Syndrome, PAH, and congenital heart defects in January 2010 at the age of 15, after being misdiagnosed her whole life.  …

30 Days of PH: I Will Not Let PH Win

  Day 5 of 30 Days of PH⁣ Topic: I Will Not Let PH Win ⁣ This is Daniel’s story @nflxfl21 Hello, my name is Daniel York. I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension in 2007. It wasn’t until 2010 that I found out that my…


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