Columns

The best product of my teenage angst was a series of abstract paintings titled “Attached to a Machine I through IV.” During my junior year of high school, I was particularly upset that my doctors had switched me from a tiny pump that fit into my…

Charity Tillemann-Dick is a soprano and the recipient of two double lung transplants. Told she might never sing again, Charity instead became a top-selling classical recording artist who has performed across the United States, Europe and Asia. She also served as…

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” There are many days when I wholeheartedly believe in the power of remaining hopeful. Lately, this has been a struggle for me. There are some days when fear leaves me feeling crippled with anxiety. It’s important when fear seems…

This podcast series, created and produced by phaware, is being offered as a regular guest feature on Pulmonary Hypertension News to bring the voices and life experiences of PH patients, family members, caregivers, healthcare specialists, and others to our readers. You may listen to the podcast directly, or read…

I’m tired just from typing these words. A rare disease like pulmonary hypertension doesn’t operate in a vacuum — side effects run aplenty. One of them is a feeling of chronic fatigue. Exhaustion seems ever-present in my life; like the shadow cast imposingly from the bag that carries my oxygen…

This podcast series, created and produced by phaware, is being offered as a regular guest feature on Pulmonary Hypertension News to bring the voices and life experiences of PH patients, family members, caregivers, healthcare specialists, and others to our readers. You may listen to the…

My sweet friend Teresa has stopped asking me if I have enough spoons to hang out with her. With my health stabilizing, appointments fewer and farther between, and my oxygen saturation at a steady 100 percent, I have a lot more spoons to work with.

I do not have pulmonary hypertension (PH). I do not know what it’s like to live my day-to-day life with the symptoms that may come with the disease. However, I do have cystic fibrosis (CF) — another crippling respiratory disease that shares some similar symptoms. We…

We all have played “the waiting game” at some point in our lives. Those of us with pulmonary hypertension or other chronic illnesses sometimes feel as though we are just pieces in this game. Our pieces are moved around to different surgeries, tests, and…

When we’re growing up, I imagine many of us are not thinking about the costs of healthcare. For many kids, healthcare means a Band-Aid with disinfectant and a kiss on the knee, and a few trips to the doctor’s office for dreaded shots. A child’s focus never wanders beyond the…

This podcast series, created and produced by phaware, is being offered as a regular guest feature on Pulmonary Hypertension News to bring the voices and life experiences of PH patients, family members, caregivers, healthcare specialists, and others to our readers. You may listen to the podcast directly, or read it…

As soon as the first words were out of his mouth, I knew the man on the phone was calling to offer me organs. I had imagined this phone call several times a day for the past month. He rushed through the script, stumbling over some parts.