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It started with a stubborn cough. “I coughed constantly,” says Vickie N. “I took cough syrup. I sucked on drops.” Nothing seemed to help.
Her doctors chalked her cough up to a cold, then allergies, then asthma, but medication failed to provide relief. Soon, Vickie noticed she was getting out of breath more quickly. “It got to where I couldn’t walk up stairs without stopping,” she says. “It was very frustrating.”
Vickie’s symptoms went on for nearly five years, making it hard for her to participate in her favorite activities, like go to church or spend time with her family. Finally, in February 2014, a pulmonologist diagnosed her with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF.
A Frightening Diagnosis
IPF is a serious lung disease that develops when tissue surrounding the air sacs (called alveoli) in the lungs thickens and becomes stiff, making it difficult for the lungs to fill with air. The cause of the condition is often unknown, which is where it gets the “idiopathic” (a medical term for unknown cause) part of its name. (Pulmonary means having to do with the lungs, and fibrosis is the term for scarring of tissue.) Over time, as the scar tissue builds up, it becomes harder and harder to breathe.
About 1 in every 200 adults over age 70 in the U.S. is affected by IPF. For many, like Vickie, the symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, and coughing. IPF is a progressive disease that worsens over time.
That information is scary under the best circumstances, but when Vickie was first diagnosed with IPF, her initial doctor made the diagnosis even worse. “He told me, ‘You’re going to be dead in a year,’ and then walked out,” she recalls. She was left alone in a sterile exam room, feeling shocked and angry.
Vickie turned that anger into action. “In that moment, I decided I had to stand up for myself, and I got a nurse to bring the doctor back and explain a little more what this diagnosis meant,” she says. Eventually, Vickie was able to get a second opinion at another practice that specialized in treating IPF. And while the diagnosis didn’t change, her outlook did.
“From the moment I walked into that office, they gave me hope. They told me, ‘We’ll get you through this,’” she remembers. The doctor showed her a model of the lungs and explained how the disease affected them. “She said, ‘We’re going to treat your symptoms as they come up, but don’t worry—we’ve got you.” It was, Vickie says, like going from a place of darkness to light.
The Importance of Being Your Own Advocate
Speaking up when it comes to your health care is an important lesson everyone should learn, not just those living with a chronic condition like IPF. “Trust your instincts,” Vickie says. “If something doesn’t feel right, keep asking questions and don’t let your concerns be dismissed.”
Vickie keeps a list of questions in a notebook, writing them down when they occur to her and then pulling the book out at her doctor’s appointments.
There’s a lot of frightening information (and often misinformation) on the internet, but having a trusted medical source can also give you confidence. “My doctors told me which websites to go to for good information,” Vickie says, “and they showed me that you can live with this disease and keep moving.” This is why finding the right healthcare team is essential. “You deserve a care team that will listen to you, explain, and help you understand your options,” she says. “It took me a while to find a pulmonologist that really listens to me, but now I’ve found one and it has changed how I manage this disease.”
A Whole Lot to Live For
For Vickie, living well means making the most of what each day has to offer, which includes paying attention to both her physical and emotional health. She counts her faith as fundamental to her well-being. “I have a really deep faith, and I pray—a lot,” she says, adding that she’s also found other ways to find peace.
One of those ways is through her art. She often loses herself in painting or drawing. “It’s where I go to tune the world out,” she says. “I can sit and paint for hours without moving and just be absorbed in what I’m doing.”
Walking also helps give her a sense of agency over her condition. “If I take the dog for a walk and get outside, I feel like I have some control over my body.” But she’s also learned not to overdo it. “I’ve figured out my limits and I know when I have to stop and rest.”
Family, especially spending time with her young grandchildren, keeps her inspired. And later this year, Vickie and her husband will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. “I want to be around for him, too,” she says. “I have a whole lot of reasons to be here.”
Looking back at her initial diagnosis and to where she is today, Vickie views her journey through an artist’s lens. “Back then, it was all dark. There wasn’t any light anywhere,” she says. “And when I went to the good doctors, I could see some light. You have to have hope. And I think that hope has made all the difference.”
Disclosure: The featured participant was compensated for her participation in this article.
MPR-US-104375 | 08/2026
