Colleen Steele,  —

Up until age 6, my son Cullen was a healthy little boy. Earaches, wellness checks, and immunizations were the only reasons I took him to the pediatrician. So I was shocked when he began complaining that his heart felt funny and he was short of breath while exercising. Asthma was…

The emotions of an 11-year-old girl named Riley take on a life of their own in the 2015 Pixar movie “Inside Out.” In the animated film, the control center of Riley’s brain is headquarters for five emotions portrayed as the characters Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness. They control…

A woman driving home from work becomes severely short of breath and dizzy. She pulls over into a “No Parking” area, which draws the attention of a parking enforcement officer. He calls for help, and she is rushed to the hospital. Five days and many tests later, doctors diagnose the…

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) might look and sound like asthma, croup, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or a panic attack — but it’s not. It’s a rare, incurable, and life-threatening condition. The color of the PH awareness ribbon might look purple, lavender, violet, or blue — but it’s not. It’s a delicate…

I enjoy hot peppermint mochas year-round. Going through the Starbucks drive-thru is my favorite daily routine and the only line I don’t mind waiting in. I use it as an opportunity to relax, pray, listen to music, scroll through my phone, read, or gaze out the window. The…

Living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) requires a great deal of self-awareness and analysis to distinguish between PH symptoms and treatment side effects. This effort becomes even more challenging when comorbidities come into play. Roger Bliss, a Pulmonary Hypertension News forums member, provides an example of such challenges. He…

Did you know that since 1995, we have designated Feb. 6 as “Pay a Compliment Day” in the U.S.? Adrienne Koopersmith was inspired to create it when the bus she was on picked up someone who was nowhere near a stop but in obvious need of a ride. Koopersmith…

Living with the physical health challenges that pulmonary hypertension (PH) places on a patient is hard enough, but the disease can also wreak havoc on mental wellness. There really is no opting out of PH mind games when life is the prize you have your eye on. Mortality statistics,…

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 that distract me from my responsibilities and have no sense of personal space. Ours might sound like a toxic relationship,…

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 saved Cullen from the imminent expiration date PH had placed on him. A few months later,…

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 of sadness and fear. They stress over sibling rivalry triggered by feelings of unequal parental attention. And they’re…

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, the president of the United States,” said then 8-year-old Cullen, to the surprise of the Make-A-Wish…