PHighting Words - a Column by Mike Naple

PHighting Words Mike Naple

Mike lives in Washington, DC, but calls San Diego home. Mike was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension five years ago. He also manages living with interstitial lung disease, sleep apnea, scoliosis, and a stutter. These chronic conditions are mostly invisible except for when Mike uses oxygen therapy while engaged in rigor exercise or activity. Mike is a communications professional who still works full time. He is excited for readers to join him as he navigates the intersections of living and working with chronic illness.

Mobility accommodations helped me enjoy an early spring vacation

It’s officially spring! Flowers bloom, rain falls, and allergies flare as we begin to emerge from our collective hibernation. Before formally springing forward, I took a vacation to Florida where I spent a week visiting different amusement parks, and my comfort level with asking for and using disability accommodations reached…

How spreading rare disease awareness leads to change

I love breakfast burritos. When I lived in California, it wasn’t uncommon for me to go on breakfast burrito runs with co-workers or while hanging out with friends over the weekend. I don’t know what it is about this magical food — maybe it’s the hot sauce — but there’s…

Eating Dark Chocolate While Searching for Good PH Memories

I love dark chocolate: the complexity of the rich flavor, the bittersweet notes of cacao. Some say that dark chocolate is an acquired taste, not for everyone. As I write this column, I’m indulging in a square of hazelnut and coffee-flavored dark chocolate and thinking about memories. The chocolate was…

How Will You Answer the PH Community’s Call to Action?

New research shows an increase in pulmonary hypertension (PH) mortality rates, and we must respond with the force of a dazzle of stampeding zebras. The study, “Pulmonary hypertension mortality trends in United States 1999-2019,” published in the Annals of Epidemiology and the topic of a recent Pulmonary…

A Conversation With Rare Disease Advocates