Unsung Hero

This weekend was the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. But I want to talk about another anniversary that occurred this weekend: the day after Princess Diana died, my mother was diagnosed with a rare lung disease called Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM for short- there is a link in my section to the left). She had just had her second operation for a collapsed lung, the first being 1990 when she was pregnant with my sister Elise.

When she was told, the Doctor walked in with barely any information, except that the only cure was lung transplant, and within 10 years she could be dead, or looking at lung transplant. Mum sat there thinking "well, at least I'm not 36 and dead in a car accident..."

More is known about it now, it's caused my a mutation in a gene that is involved in the cell proliferation cycle- this mutation causes the proliferation of smooth muscle tissue in the lungs, causing cysts, and decreasing the lung capacity. These cysts can burst, causing lung collapse, which needs to be dealt with through operations. The disease is progressive, some women can deteriorate rapidly, others more slowly.
Interestingly, it only effects women. Female hormones can cause changes in the progression of the disease- pregnancy rapidly increases deterioration, and hormone replacement therapy during menopause is not an option.

10 years later, we are lucky and blessed that Mum has experienced slow progression. It's only in the most recent years that she gets puffed more easily and has shown a decrease in her lung capacity tests. She doesn't need oxygen therapy, let alone a lung transplant!
There are only about 50 women in Australia with the disease- Mum knows and is friends with quite a few of them. Over the years we have seen some of them deteriorate, go onto oxygen, have lung transplants, and we have lost some of them as well.

So today, while the world is still thinking of Princess Diana, I ask you to just stop a moment to say a prayer and think of my Mum, and others like her, the unsung heroes of this world who battle disease, illness and other struggles in anonymity, often while still dealing with everyday life, with courage that is not always seen and demonstrated by so many these days.

Mum at dinner last night doing her "Professor McGonagall" pose!