Until Thursday of this past week, I thought I was going to be dead within the next 2-7 years. I have thought that since January 3rd of this year. I have been struggling with something since Thanksgiving.
I was diagnosed on January 3rd with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis(IPF). When you search for it, the results are not pretty. They won’t bring a smile to your face. It brought me to tears. Until recently, the expected lifespan of a person once diagnosed was an average of 2-5 years. You could expect to go on Oxygen part-time, and then have Oxygen 24/7 until you fade away. That was my expectation. There is a possibility of a lung transplant until the age of 70 if you qualify. IPF is like being diagnosed with ALS. You know there is an end, but you don’t know when it will happen.
That uncertainty can make you feel off-kilter all the time. IPF affects people differently. I interacted with people that were diagnosed with a supposed mild case and three months later they were on oxygen 24/7. One person was doing triathalongs, then boom. In line for a transplant. Ugh. Others have lived 20-30 years with it. That gave me hope. Please God, let that person be me. Fortunately, after a life of being a trader then early-stage investor, I was used to dealing with uncertainty. Of course, then it was just about money, not my life. The stakes were a lot higher.
At least most of (Read more…)