RESILIENCE: HOW VULNERABILITY LEADS TO STRENGTH
When first diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, health resilience never occurred to me. I felt shock; I had been told by my pulmonologist who had just completed examining me that my life span might include an additional three to five years. The grieving process began as I listened to his presumptive comment about my shortened life expectancy. I walked toward the office exit door with tears streaming down both cheeks. The disease followed a predictable progression during the next four years. By mid-April 2010, simply breathing made life increasingly challenging. During an appointment with a new pulmonologist, he asked if I would be willing to explore the possibility of receiving a lung transplant. It was my single life-saving option.
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