The PHA community is a network of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences living their best lives. PHA highlights those experiences through inspiring first-person stories in our Right Heart Blog.
When Janessa Curnow was diagnosed with PH, she was inspired that her doctor had been treating some patients for 10 years. So she set a goal she didn’t know if she could keep. This summer, she met that goal: her 10th anniversary of living with PH.
Sydney Ward is a business owner and part-time yoga instructor who lives outside of Minneapolis with their partner Tom and cats Luna and Pandora. She is bisexual and nonbinary, specifically gender queer. Sydney shared initially shared their story in the summer 2022 issue of Pathlight.
Singer/actor Stephen Carter-Hicks is long-time volunteer for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. He initially shared this story in the summer 2022 issue of Pathlight, PHA’s quarterly member magazine.
Hughes Elementary School showed its true colors for World PH Day when students and staff dressed in purple to support third-grader Isla Grey, who has PH. Isla’s class also raised $660 in quarters in April for pulmonary hypertension research. Isla’s mom Jennifer Morrow shares their story in the Right Heart Blog.
Uraiwan Campbell went to urgent care for what she thought was an infected scratch on her leg. But after several days in the hospital and many tests, she learned her swollen leg was related to pulmonary hypertension. A recent heart catheterization showed her lung pressure has declined, buoying her spirits.
Chloe Merritt is still getting used to a low-sodium diet, lack of energy and a subcutaneous pump after her September 2022 diagnosis. The life-changing experience brought her closer to family and friends and led her to a new favorite food. See the Right Heart Blog post.
Whitney Whited was 10 when her father died of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) complications. Recently, she learned about the BMPR2 gene and sought genetic testing for her 11-year-old daughter. Whitney, 34, who doesn’t have PAH, shared her family’s story in the winter 2022 issue of Pathlight, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s member magazine.
Joyce Sandberg of Port St. Lucie, Florida, noticed shortness of breath nine years ago while biking. A few years later, she developed blood clots and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. But she doesn’t let her conditions stop her from enjoying life, taking cruises and attending classic car shows with her husband.
Karly Loree, 30, felt isolated after her chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) diagnosis. But when she discovered a Pulmonary Hypertension Association support group for people with CTEPH, she found support, hope and community. As she awaits surgery this month, she shares her story for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s end-of-year fundraising campaign.
