Shavini Fernando, 35, talks about her pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) diagnosis two years ago and her journey to the United States from Sri Lanka in search of better care and treatments. Since being diagnosed, Shavini has defied the odds and is living her best life. Back in school for her third master’s degree, Shavini is filming a documentary on the PH community for a school project. Her documentary will focus on her personal experiences and feature interviews with people living with PH and their families on how they handle their day-to-day struggles, the challenges they face in the workforce and in their private lives and how they are all thriving while battling this potentially deadly disease. Shavini describes her film as a combination of “poetic, observational expository and participatory modes.” Her goal is to shed as much light on a disease that too many people know too little about. We look forward to seeing and sharing her documentary with the PH community once it’s available.
This post is part of PHA’s The Right Heart blog series. Find out how you can share your story. Click here.
