Columns

January 2, 2019December 20, 2018

2018: My Year in Review

Columns, Life After PH – A Column By Kathleen Sheffer

2018 was triumphant. I accomplished several of my long-term goals. I had zero organ rejection, so I remained on my lowest dose of prednisone all year, and that meant ... Read more

December 21, 2018December 19, 2018

Focusing on Happiness During the Holidays

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

When I was younger, the holiday season was all about happiness and excitement. But each year, as I got older, it seemed as if the “magic” of the holiday ... Read more

December 14, 2018January 3, 2019

With PH, I Know Each Hospital Stay is Not My Last

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

“Hopefully we won’t see you back here any time soon!” “Let’s hope not!” This was the conversation between my nurse and me as I walked out of the hospital ... Read more

December 12, 2018December 21, 2018

Echocardiograms Are an Emotional Experience After PH and CHD

Columns, Life After PH – A Column By Kathleen Sheffer

Last week I went in for a cardiac ultrasound (I call this exam an echo). I’ve probably had hundreds of them in my life, but since my heart-lung transplant, ... Read more

December 7, 2018January 8, 2019

Reminders for the Days I Feel Like I’m Not Doing Enough

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

Some days, I feel well enough to make the most out of each day. On these days, I find the energy to clean the house, make food, do laundry, ... Read more

November 29, 2018December 4, 2018

An Invisible Illness and the PHight of Our Lives

Columns, PHighting Words - a Column by Mike Naple

Wonder Woman has an invisible jet. Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak. I have an invisible illness. The people I sit next to on the metro cannot see it. ... Read more

November 16, 2018November 26, 2018

Choosing to Say ‘Yes’ to Treatments Isn’t Always Easy

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

One of the most challenging realities I face with chronic lung disease is that my only option to feel better is to continue with treatments. There is no cure ... Read more

November 14, 2018November 20, 2018

My Recent CPAP Use Has Triggered Traumatic Memories

Columns, Life After PH – A Column By Kathleen Sheffer

For 16 years I slept with supplemental oxygen delivered through a nasal cannula. Prone to desaturation at night, I blasted two liters of concentrated oxygen through my nose every ... Read more

November 9, 2018November 15, 2018

Pay Attention to the Positive Voices

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

People say that bad things happen in threes. I think that saying is a bunch of baloney. Lately, it has felt like bad things are flooding my life. Some ... Read more

November 2, 2018November 13, 2018

Being Newly Diagnosed Can Cause Mixed Emotions

Columns, Recharged and Rewired - a Column by Brittany Foster

“When we’re headed toward an outcome that’s too horrible to face, that’s when we go looking for a second opinion. Sometimes, the answer we get just confirms our worst ... Read more