Beth was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension shortly after delivering her son, Jensen, in November 2012. She had experienced breathing problems from a young age. She had been diagnosed with asthma in elementary school, but she stopped using the inhalers because they did not work. Each time she told a doctor about the lack of improvement, she was given a different inhaler to try. She ultimately stopped asking and learned to live with the discomfort during exercise.

Shortly after getting pregnant things got a lot worse. She quickly stopped her regular exercise routine and started using the elevator to go up one floor at work. She was out of breath just from talking. At each doctor appointment, she expressed that she was short of breath but it was always attributed to the pregnancy. It was not until 5 days after delivery that the symptoms lead to an emergency department visit. Upon arrival, her oxygen saturation was measured in the low 70s. The physicians were concerned and immediately put her on oxygen. After several tests, it was decided that she needed to stay for additional testing. During her stay, she had and xray, CAT scan, ECHO, and finally a right heart cathetorization. It was the final test that showed pulmonary hypertension.

Beth was sent home from the hospital on oxygen. She spent the next several weeks attending doctor appointments with various clinics to determine the extent of the PH and the cause. Finally about 2 months later the PH clinic in Salt Lake City provided a diagnosis of PH secondary to a congenital heart defect called Atrioventricular Septal Defect. That is basically several holes in her heart that allowed blood to flow from the high pressure left side to the low pressure right side which resulted in PH.

Beth spent 6 months recovering from the pregnancy and adjusting to life with PH and a new baby before returning to work full time. It has now been a little over 2.5 years (it is easy to keep track when it is also the age of her rambunctious toddler!). When not at work, she enjoys family time. She spends her spare time raising awareness of PH in hopes of helping others avoid a long delay in diagnosis.

Judy and Jim Moreland

Judy's story of Pulmonary Hypertension actually begins in Pennsylvania when as a pre-schooler she would continually complain of being cold. On those snowy, winter days when all the neighborhood children would be bundled up and sledding down our backyard, she would last 15 minutes and then be banging on the back door begging to come inside where it was warm! This was the beginning of her life with Sclerodrema, an autoimmune disease which became more apparent after the birth of her daughter. Pulmonary Hypertension is a not so rare consequence of Scleroderma and around 2000 she realized that she was having difficulty walking and talking simultaneously and that walking up an incline became quite an ordeal.

Since then she has had numerous tests, procedures, and surgeries. With the advent of new medications since 2000, she has been able to lead a fairly normal life and her supplemental oxygen needs are minimal. Unfortunately, PH is a progressive disease and without continued research patients will eventually find the meds available ineffective. Please help support research and help us find a cure!