The Bucket List I Refuse to Make
During my senior year of high school, a teacher assigned the task of creating a “bucket list.” I was furious. A term popularized by the 2007 movie of the same…
Life After PH — Kathleen Sheffer
After fighting idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension with combined intravenous and oral therapies for 17 years, Kathleen received a heart-lung transplant on July 1, 2016. Now in her late 20s, she works as a photographer in San Francisco, California, and writes about the transition from life with PH to life with chronic immunosuppression. See her photography at kathleensheffer.com.
Featured Post
Cooking Is Great in Life with PH
A therapist once asked me what makes me happy, and I said “food” right away. Thankfully, I’ve matured since high school, and food is no longer at the top of my mental…
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Camille Frede Receives a Long-awaited Heart-lung Transplant
On Sunday, one of my longest friends with pulmonary hypertension received a heart-lung transplant. I met Camille at the first PH Conference I attended in 2000. I was 6 and she was…
My Sister: Fierce Competitor and Battle Buddy
My sister and I fell asleep in our flannel nightgowns as my mom drove our minivan the 14 winding miles home. Dad was on a work trip, and we’d spent…
I Am a PH Patient Without PH
When asked to help launch the Pulmonary Hypertension News Forums, I was honored, excited … and I felt like a fraud. “I don’t even…
Pulmonary Hypertension News Forums Launch Today
I’ve written before about the importance of community while battling chronic illness, especially rare diseases. The advice and support I’ve received from other patients through…
Three Ways Transplant Enriches My Life
Receiving a transplant is more than the gift of life; it’s the gift of a rich life. Living with a transplant is not easy. Though I have fully functioning lungs,…
Valentine’s Day, with a Hearty Dose of Humor
It didn’t get old. I was still very much amused the third time I deposited a stack of postcards emblazoned with an illustration of the heart pulled from…
Marking Time After Transplant
Days We counted time in days after my surgery. The first few were a blur. “How many days was I asleep?” I wondered. I was lucky. Thursday night, I went…
Celebrating Bradley Dell and Transplant Anniversaries
Brad and I met because he commented on my blog, wherefore I visited his blog and read this piece…
Prepared for the Worst
On early morning drives to Stanford Medical Center, I blast upbeat songs and belt out inaccurate lyrics, my shih tzu giving confused looks from the passenger seat. I’m…
My Mental Health Breaking Point
On Jan. 2, 2014, I stayed in bed for the third day in a row. I cried, slept, researched ways to die, and starved myself. Late that evening,…
Dating with Chronic Illness
My health has always served as an extra filter for my relationships, romantic or otherwise. One man asked me to be his girlfriend on a Friday night and then broke…
