A couple years before getting pregnant with our third child, I had sporadic episodes of difficulty breathing. A doctor couldn’t find anything wrong and dismissed my concerns.

During that pregnancy, my symptoms became so intense that I had trouble walking up the stairs in our house. My doctor said the baby was sitting on my lungs.

After giving birth and being released from the hospital, I went into congestive heart failure. My husband rushed me to the ER, where doctors addressed the heart failure but couldn’t determine what caused it.

I spent three days in the ICU and then was sent to University of California-San Diego, where I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. The doctor said my heart was in bad condition and put me on Flolan immediately.

Two weeks later I returned home from the hospital and was surrounded by family and friends. To our pleasant surprise, our community came to our side, bringing us meals every night for months and helping with the kids.

While receiving Flolan, I knew life was going to be different, not only with my breathing, but everyday activities. The treatment required constant monitoring, and I had to replenish my medicine every six hours.

Three months after returning home, I had a right heart catheterization to determine whether I would respond to nitrous oxide. The doctor said if I didn’t react, I would have only about six months to live.

I reacted positively, which indicated the drugs available at the time would work for me. It was my understanding that a small percentage of people with PH had a positive reaction, so to my husband and me this was a win. It created hope for my future with our three children.

My condition improved, and I changed to an oral medication. I took eight to 10 pills a day while raising three children under the age of five.

PH doesn’t define me

There were times my PH was obvious. Activities with the kids posed breathing challenges, and I passed out once playing basketball with them. I felt constantly fatigued and worn out, but I didn’t look at the limitations of what I couldn’t do. I thought, “Because my time is limited, I’m going to do more.”

I got through the challenges, thanks to my husband, who was and still is my rock. He helped me through the most difficult experience of my life. I decided during those tough times I was never going to let PH define who I was.

Over the last 17 years, I have continued to do all the things I was told I would never do again. If my life was going to be limited in duration, we were going to make up for it with experiences and memories.

I live an active lifestyle, although I was told I would never run a marathon or do any similar activity. However, I did conquer a 10K mud run at Camp Pendleton three years after my diagnosis. I played on a coed softball team, I dirt biked, snowboarded, camped with my family, hiked, white water rafted, visited 33 national parks with my family and even rappelled rocks. I recently “topped it all off” by skydiving for my 50th birthday.

My ultimate goal is to provide hope to others living with PH. I try to show that you can’t let your diagnosis define you. You rise above it and live your life.

That is something I always wanted my children to see in their mom. My next goal is to be a 20-year PH survivor. That will be a milestone to definitely celebrate.