Phaware Podcast: Diego Gil

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 via the transcript that runs below.

I’m Aware That I’m Rare: Diego Gil
The phaware™ interview

Diego Gil is a pulmonary hypertension patient as well as the President of Asociación Tejido Azul, the largest nonprofit PH organization in Colombia. Diego discusses the importance of information and PH awareness and how he works with other rare disease organizations to promote positive change in his country.

My name is Diego Gil and I am from Colombia.

I am a PH patient, associated with congenital heart disease. I was diagnosed in 1988 when I was 8 years old. As a child, I began to feel that I couldn’t do the same things as other children. I wasn’t able to run like them. I lacked oxygen and sometimes I fainted. I also began to see that my lips and nails were beginning to look blue. Today, I am with oral therapy. In Colombia, we have the majority of treatments approved by the FDA. We are fortunate. However, there are obstacles in our health system that do not allow many patients to receive the treatments they need. The treatments are very expensive.

I think awareness allows people to know more about pulmonary hypertension and help patients to be diagnosed much faster, so they can obtain an appropriate treatment in time. I have always thought pulmonary hypertension patients should be the main voices of their disease. This is the reason I always share information about the disease with all the people I know, such as relatives, friends, and health professionals. I also share information on social media about the disease and different awareness campaigns.

I am the president of Asociación Tejido Azul, which is the largest pulmonary hypertension patient organization in my country. We carry out workshops to guide patients and their families on how to face the obstacles of our health system, so they can access treatments timely. We establish contact with health institutions and the government entities so that PH patients receive appropriate, timely, and dignified treatment. We are part of FECOER, which is the rare diseases organization of Colombia. We work together to promote positive changes in legislation in favor of all patients with rare diseases in my country.

Asociación Tejido Azul, is a nonprofit organization that was born in December 2013 as an initiative of several PH patients and our families. Our purpose is to carry out activities that contribute to the well-being of the Colombian PH community, such as educational programs to raise awareness [and] support groups for patients and caregivers. We currently have support groups in the six main cities of my country. We also do communication campaigns to promote public awareness of the disease. We offer legal orientation in case of obstacles in access to treatment and advocacy to promote positive changes in our health legislation.

Our organization has planned several activities to commemorate World PH Day to bring awareness about the disease. We will have conferences with medical specialists in the main cities of the country and also throughout social media, so that many people may join in our awareness purposes.

If you are a newly diagnosed patient, always remember that you are not alone. There are many people who are willing to support you. And finally, I want to say that pulmonary hypertension is a difficult battle. However, the strength of our community is much greater than the disease.

My name is Diego Gil and I am aware that I am rare.

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY. WHAT’S YOURS?

phaware wants to share your pulmonary hypertension story with their engaged global audience. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, or medical professional, they are enlisting PH community members from across the globe. Visit www.phaware.global/podcast to share your story and to be considered for a future episode. And learn more about pulmonary hypertension at www.phaware.global. #phaware #phawarepod

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