Ann Reynoso Honors Mother’s Memory Through Pulmonary Fibrosis Advocacy

Ann Reynoso was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis at the end of 2019, and then in June of 2020, she lost her mother to COVID-19. As part of a 30-day awareness campaign being held by Pulmonary Fibrosis News, Reynoso shared her story, and how her mother played such a significant role in shaping her strength for the ongoing battle.

But first… what is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Part of a larger grouping of interstitial lung diseases (ILD), Pulmonary Fibrosis is a lung condition marked by the inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue, inhibiting the ability to properly breathe.

Lung tissue thickens and stiffens, affecting the lung’s ability to expand and contract. Currently, there is no exact cause, although several auto-immune disorders (i.e. scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis) have been linked.

Sometimes, treatment required includes breathing assistance, and in worst-case scenarios a lung transplant.

Ann Reynoso’s Story

Diagnosed in December of 2019, and faced with a disease that would reshape the course of her life, Ann Reynoso garnered the courage to push forward from her mother.

“My mom was there sharing with me her faith and her wisdom. I felt strong knowing she was in this fight with me,” Reynoso wrote for Pulmonary Fibrosis News.

Just a few short months later—on June 26th, 2020—Reynoso’s mother contracted COVID-19, and was admitted to the hospital, with no visitation possible from family. One month later, without her daughter beside her, Ann’s mother passed away.

“My light went out,” Reynoso writes, “How do I fight my disease alone?”

Ann realized that she wasn’t, entirely, alone—that she still had her mother’s guidance within her.

“I decided to take my emotions of anger and deep sadness, and turn them into what I knew my mom would want me to do,” Reynoso writes, “To help educate others about PF, I became a columnist for Pulmonary Fibrosis News.”

Powerfully, Reynoso continues on to say, “My mother’s memory has given me the ability not to be angry at my disease, but rather to see it as part of life’s detour that I must figure out how to navigate. Every day when I wake up, I remind myself that while PF may be a part of me, it certainly does not own me.”

Read Ann Reynoso’s full story, in her own words, here, and give her column, “Modern Day Mutant”, support over on Pulmonary Fibrosis News.

Pulmonary Fibrosis News’ 30 Days of PF campaign will publish one story per day for PF Awareness Month in September. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #30DaysofPF, or read the full series. —PFN