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.

Misuse of assistive services makes it harder to travel with a disability

Sometimes a news headline rattles you so deeply that you’re still thinking about it nearly two months later. I probably can’t shake this particular headline because I was at the airport when I read the article. Let’s rewind to the week before last Christmas, when I was preparing to fly…

Columns

Representation and the Need for More PHighters on Screen

I didn’t know what pulmonary hypertension was before my diagnosis. When I would tell friends and family about the disease, almost all of them learned about it for the first time through those conversations. As I began adjusting to life with PH, vigorously searching for stories of other people facing…

Columns

PHighting Words: A Column by Mike Naple

Greetings! If you’re reading this post you most likely are: Living with pulmonary hypertension; have a loved one, family member or friend who is fighting this rare disease; a healthcare provider; or have joined the fight to find a cure in some advocacy or research capacity. Whoever you are…