At 27 years-old, Melissa Sulpher found herself short of breath just trying to get up a flight of stairs.
The mother of four has since learned she is one of 30,000 Canadians suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic respiratory disease where lung tissue becomes scarred, and over time, results in shortness of breath and vital organs being deprived of necessary oxygen.
A Kitchener resident, Sulpher was diagnosed there at St. Mary's Hospital. During pregnancy, she was referred to the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, a partnership of McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.
"My lungs aren't strong enough to get me through daily activities anymore," said Sulpher. "Two years ago I could walk up the stairs and sort of keep going, and now I can't. I have to pause. Running around with my kids is harder. They know there are things Mom just can't do. There is no known cure for pulmonary fibrosis, but if I can keep my lungs even as they are right now, that's better."
Melissa was part of an international study at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health that trialed a pharmaceutical treatment for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. The study found the medication worked to slow down the progression of the disease. The results were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
