After so many years of struggling to find my voice in advocating for my healthcare, today I am proud of how far I have come. Speaking up for my needs and advocating for the best available care hasn’t been easy. Processing medical trauma…
I’ve written before about how I have adjusted my diet since my pulmonary hypertension diagnosis, but this isn’t something I’ve always found easy. When struggling with mental health or the usual pressures of daily life, it can be…
Since Feb. 26, many Christians around the world, including me, have been following the 40 days of Lent. It is a time of fasting and repentance to prepare for Easter. How we practice Lent is a personal choice. Some give up tempting treats or make other positive changes to…
“If I could tell the world just one thing, it would be that we’re all OK.” –Jewel Through the years, I have noticed that within the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community, not everyone shows kindness. I am unsure of why this happens. My guess is that we are human, meaning…
In recent years, I have heard the words “you’ll get used to it” more times than I can count. It’s as if my body and mind are programmed to adapt to whatever may come next. Trying to adapt to what life throws my way prompts…
Physical and mental health are closely linked. Many people who struggle with long-term conditions like pulmonary hypertension (PH) also struggle with things like anxiety. Both PH and anxiety can affect heart rate,…
The average person might feel some concern about how they look and feel in the morning. They might be a little self-conscious about how today’s decisions will affect their health tomorrow. But if you are living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), how you look and feel greatly determines how the rest…
Life is full of the unexpected, the unknowns, and uncertainty. This is no secret. My pulmonary hypertension diagnosis was unquestionably one of my toughest unknowns. Unknowns also may include a job loss, the loss of a family member or friend, and a variety of other life events. I often deal…
For almost an entire year, I felt completely lost. Some mornings, I lacked motivation to even get out of bed. I was trapped in a vicious cycle of anxiety and depression; stuck somewhere between worrying too much and not caring at all.
I received a call a couple of days ago from my pulmonary hypertension (PH) specialist center telling me that I am a high-risk patient and need to self-isolate. I’d already been social distancing for a while, but hearing…
Do you need to hear a happy and uplifting human interest story? Here is one about the day my son met the “Say Hey Kid.” Cullen received a heart and double-lung transplant at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, California, at 14 years old because of pulmonary hypertension…
As I write this, I am watching the news. Shocker, right? As of the writing of this column, 63 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the greater Houston area, although that number undoubtedly will increase. Life has been full of unknowns, especially in recent weeks. It is overwhelming…
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