The Day the Music Lived
The emotions of an 11-year-old girl named Riley take on a life of their own in the 2015 Pixar movie “Inside Out.” In the animated film, the control center of Riley’s brain is…
Life as a Caregiver — Colleen Steele
Colleen Steele was born and raised in New Jersey and received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Immaculata University in 1994. Her oldest child was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension when he was 8. At 14, he received a heart and double-lung transplant. Colleen’s love for writing, experience advocating for her son, and determination to spread PH awareness inspired her to become a columnist and forum moderator for Pulmonary Hypertension News in 2019. In her column, “Life as a Caregiver,” Colleen is open and honest about caring for her son, his PH experiences, and life post-transplant. Her ambition is to educate and inspire others facing similar challenges and encourage them to share their journey. If you are a caregiver and would like to be interviewed, contact Colleen at [email protected].
Featured Post
Can caregiver burnout be eased with a new shade of fingernail?
I’m the almost-pour-milk-onto-my-mom’s-plate-instead-of-in-her-cup kind of tired. The dump-potato-chips-instead-of-cat-food-into-my-cat’s-bowl kind of distracted. The place-things-on-my-parents’-stairlift-instead-of-carrying-them-up-or-down-the-steps kind of exhausted. My name is Colleen Steele, and I have caregiver burnout! It’s not the first time I’ve burned the…
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California Couple Shares Their PHenomenal Love Story
A woman driving home from work becomes severely short of breath and dizzy. She pulls over into a “No Parking” area, which draws the attention of a parking enforcement officer. He calls for help,…
PH and Periwinkle Go Together Perfectly
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) might look and sound like asthma, croup, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or a panic attack — but it’s not. It’s a rare, incurable, and life-threatening condition. The color of the PH…
Tips to Get Over the PH Diagnosis Hump
I enjoy hot peppermint mochas year-round. Going through the Starbucks drive-thru is my favorite daily routine and the only line I don’t mind waiting in. I use it as an opportunity to…
A Struggle With PH and Comorbidities
Living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) requires a great deal of self-awareness and analysis to distinguish between PH symptoms and treatment side effects. This effort becomes even more challenging when comorbidities come into play.
Indulging in Some Complementary Therapy
Did you know that since 1995, we have designated Feb. 6 as “Pay a Compliment Day” in the U.S.? Adrienne Koopersmith was inspired to create it when the bus she was on picked…
How to Benefit by Playing Devil’s Advocate in the Fight Against PH
Living with the physical health challenges that pulmonary hypertension (PH) places on a patient is hard enough, but the disease can also wreak havoc on mental wellness. There really is no opting out of…
Pets Can Help Care for the Caregivers
Three of my family members are very high maintenance. They rely on me for just about everything, and whine if I don’t help them right away. They constantly do things that distract me from…
My Son Loves His Extraordinarily Ordinary Post-transplant Life
Following years of slow decline due to pulmonary hypertension (PH), by 2014, my son Cullen was in critical health, and our hopes were fading. Thankfully, a heart and double-lung transplant…
A PH Sibling’s Journey From Childhood to Adulthood
Parents of children with pulmonary hypertension (PH) commonly express concern about the emotional and developmental effects on their healthy offspring. They worry about how their healthy children deal with feelings of sadness and…
The Old Memories of Flying With PH Still Linger
My son had just been diagnosed with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH), and he had a wish — and it involved flying. “I would like to meet George W. Bush,…
How to Make Christmas Happy for a Child in the Hospital
To quote the famous holiday song, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go” — including at the hospital. Over the years, there were many times I…
