Lung Transplant Awareness Month

July is our first annual Lung Transplant Awareness Month!

When discussing treatment options for PF, your doctor or pulmonologist may have brought up the topic of a lung transplant. A lung transplant is a surgery that replaces a diseased lung with a healthy one. For some people with PF, a transplant is a realistic treatment. For others, there may be ways to improve quality of life with fewer risks involved. 

Whether you were recently diagnosed or have been struggling with PF for years, you may have lots of questions about lung transplants and PF. 

Here are some common questions we’ve seen in our community forum and heard in our virtual support group meetups:

• What does the research say about the risks and benefits of a lung transplant? 
• What does the process involve? 
• What does recovery look like? 
• What are some complications that may arise after a lung transplant?
• Am I too young, or too old, to get a lung transplant?
• Would I need a single or a double lung transplant?
• I have medical conditions in addition to PF. Would I be eligible for a lung transplant?
• How would I get on the waiting list? How long would I wait for? How do people handle anxiety while waiting?
• What would happen if I got more sick while I’m waiting? Or if I experienced side effects from meds like severe weight loss/gain? Would that change my spot?
• Which hospitals do you recommend?
• My relative is waiting for evaluation to be approved for a lung transplant. What advice do you have for us?
• After the surgery, what foods can I eat? What foods should I avoid?
• After the surgery, what activities can I do? Which activities should I avoid?
• How long can people live after their transplant?
• What aspects of life does a lung transplant change? What medications would I need to take?

During Lung Transplant Awareness Month, there are 3 easy ways to get all your questions answered about lung transplants & PF:

1. Attend our lung transplant-themed virtual support group meetup on July 12th. Our upcoming support group features a special guest speaker who survived a double lung transplant – and then became a renowned advocate for making every breath count. Join us as we gather on Zoom to hear his story, share support, and learn more about lung transplants & PF. Register for free here. 
2. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see the latest news and research related to lung transplants & PF. Stay tuned for the big announcement on social media revealing our special guest speaker’s name!
3. Submit your questions to our growing Q&A list. Comment below with your question, no matter how big or small, and we’ll answer it in a future blog post. To get the advice of real people with or impacted by PF, you can also post your questions in our community forum here. 

Please help spread the word about this important advocacy month. The more you know about PF, the easier it is to fight PF now!