Columns

Tips on How to Handle PH and Transplant Baggage

What is baggage? According to Merriam-Webster, it’s one of three things: suitcases, transportable equipment, or intangible things such as feelings and circumstances that get in the way. What kind of baggage do people living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) often take everywhere they go? The answer: all of it! In…

Don’t Picture My Son With PH

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but sometimes they can be a one-sided conversation. Some photographers tell better stories, but it’s usually up to the observer to gather hints from the picture to understand what’s going on. Smiling people must be happy. Crying people must be sad.

How PH Affects My Sexuality

My husband, Manny, and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in March. If you know anything about my pulmonary hypertension (PH) journey, you know that 17 years have been with PH. That means that Manny has shared me with PH for over half of our marriage. Although I’m grateful…

Despite PH, I Continue to Set and Achieve Goals

It’s no secret that life turned upside down for my family and me when I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2005. But my life was far from over; I still craved so much. My chronic illness may prevent me from achieving goals I once had, but I can…

Hospitals Grow Good People

Graphic artist and children’s book illustrator Mary Engelbreit helped popularize one of my favorite inspirational phrases, “Bloom where you are planted.” Through colorful illustrations and uplifting phrases, she inspires others to find joy, humor, hope, love, and beauty wherever they are in life. But what if you’re in a…

Celebrating Donors and the Gift of Time

It’s difficult for me to identify when an organ transplant became a genuine possibility within my personal journey. For my parents, it was certainly when I was just 4 years old, at my pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis. Like many, they heard from doctors that I would likely live only…

Hi, PH. Yes, I’m Aware You’re Stressful.

There’s a scene in Disney’s classic animated film “Aladdin” in which the evil sorcerer Jafar transforms into a snake and squeezes Aladdin within an inch of his life. As a kid, I found this scene rather frightening. As an adult living with a serious chronic illness and respiratory disease, I…

Practicing What I Preach Is Advice Worth Taking

I happened upon a meme of a cat lying flat on its belly, ears pulled back on alert, chin resting between two tense paws, and eyes wide with a look that could kill. The caption read, “I’m so calm, happy, and well-rested — said no caregiver ever!” My ability to…