Anna is an artist and writer based in Minnesota. Diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension at the age of 4, she fought for 19 years before receiving a lifesaving heart-lung transplant in 2018. Despite complications following transplant, she was discharged back home eight months later. Anna now manages life with a tracheostomy and relies on supplemental oxygen, but her life remains full of hope and wonder, which she strives to share through her writing. In addition to her role as a columnist for Pulmonary Hypertension News, Anna works as a photo editor, a photographer, and also runs her own art business.Having grown up with a complex diagnosis that includes pulmonary hypertension, I was always interested in the field of healthcare. I still remember being 10 years old and telling people I wanted to be a pediatric anesthesiologist when I grew up. This was because of the anesthesiologists who had been…
When people ask to hear my story, I always offer the same opening line, “When I was 4 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare heart-lung illness,” as if I did not exist prior to that fated day. In some ways, this feels true. If I have learned anything…
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