Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl cracked a joke at the Emmy Awards ceremony that I can’t get out of my head, and not because it was particularly funny. Commenting on the show’s legacy during a reunion bit with former and current cast members, Heigl said, “Yes, there have…
PHighting Words — Mike Naple
Mike Naple (he/him) lives in Washington, D.C., but calls San Diego, California, home. Mike was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2016. 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 public affairs and communications professional who still works full time. He is excited for readers to join him as he navigates the intersections of disability, chronic illness, rare disease, public policy advocacy, and living with PH.
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A decade later, I still remember standing in the kitchen on a phone call that would change my life. On that morning in March 2016, I left my apartment and returned nearly two weeks later with a pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis. I never thought I’d reach this milestone: living…
While most people who home in on their health at the start of a new year think about gyms, diets, and a “Dry January,” I’m focused on my oxygen levels, doctor appointments, and exams. These are needed to manage my pulmonary hypertension (PH), something I’ll be committed…
When you struggle to breathe, yet fail to understand why, it can feel like you’ve lost your way in a dark wilderness. It’s scary and isolating, and you have nary a map, flashlight, or proper diagnosis to help find a lighted path out of the woods. I saw my…
While I take a fair amount of medication to manage my pulmonary hypertension (PH), sometimes the hardest pill to swallow is admitting when I fall short with my treatment plan. Earlier this month, I was at a restaurant sharing a meal with an old friend I hadn’t seen…
Do you have trouble relaxing? That might seem like a silly question given that summer vacations are in full swing. But I’m asking because of my own ongoing quest to better relax as part of my treatment plan for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Long before my PH diagnosis…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again (and again): Elected leaders in the United States need to hear from their constituents, which include many of us in the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community. The doldrums of August is the perfect time to connect with your members…
I can see the marks on my face most mornings when I look in the mirror. In my mind, the reddish lines and indentations look like well-worn train tracks. Lately, two small circular markings have made themselves known on each side of my nostrils. Those marks are from the straps…
Last month, Father Time strapped me to a rocket ship and shot me clear into the wild blue yonder of my fifth decade. That’s right: This geriatric millennial recently turned 40. I’m launching into a new decade and taking my pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis with me. If we’re…
When the doctor used the phrase “your deformity,” I immediately braced myself for the remainder of the appointment. I compartmentalized the comment for the moment and would deal with how I felt about it at a later date. I’d raised the possibility of my getting a lung transplant, which…
Do you use supplemental oxygen or know someone who does? We all need oxygen to breathe and to function. But most people breathe without giving it much thought. Yet some in the chronic illness and disability communities need a little extra help to ensure that oxygen flows throughout their…
I never finished reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. Maybe you’ve read it. Perhaps you’ve seen Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical based on the book, or heard the music. I’d be surprised to learn, however, if the book was in your hospital discharge bag, as it was in mine after…
Thirty-eight thousand, seven hundred, and ten feet. That’s the length of about 107.5 football fields, including their end zones. It’s also a ballpark estimate of the distance I’ve walked during six-minute walk tests since I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2016. What a journey! A six-minute walk…
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