1,000 Blogs

One thousand blogs as of this morning. I began blogging on October 4, 2009 by relating how I was diagnosed. It continued by offering my medical, legal and personal story. The goal was to offer medical information and the emotional implications of living with a fatal diagnosis.

In the beginning, there were no statistics recorded by the blog spot. I had no clue whether anyone was reading it. I kept going. Now, I am stunned to see people from China to Brazil to Iran and recently a huge number of readers from Russia trying to get information about this group of rare diseases.

I have made two life long friends from this blog. Joanne and Lisa. They are the tangible gifts that have come to me because of this blog. Because of having a fatal diagnosis.

My thanks to Dana who I met in an elevator in the hospital on my way to pulmonary rehab. She is now married and expected twins at any moment! She is the one who suggested then nudged me to blog my experiences.

The doctors believe I got Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in late 2002. It has been 10 years of living with an Interstitial Lung Disease. I was officially declared disabled in 2005. I was told just recently by Dr. K. that they had expected me to be either transplanted or dead about four years ago. I have beaten the odds so far. A few downturns but functioning without any supplemental oxygen for the first time was the highlight of the last year. The longer I can put off beginning the process for lung transplants, the better.

If you, dear reader, have not done so, I strongly recommend that you begin at the beginning and read the first three months of this blog. There is a lot of information there.

So, with good doctors, good medicine, pulmonary rehab and a lot of love, I hope to write another 1,000 blogs. My thanks and wishes of good health to all of you.