July is Disability Pride Month The current design of the Disability Pride flag (shown as this post's image) dates from 2021, and each element has a meaning: All six flag colors: Disability spans borders between nations Black background: Mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse Diagonal Band: Cutting across the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society Red Stripe: Physical disabilities Gold Stripe: Neurodivergence White Stripe: Invisible and undia

PHA Canada was delighted to note Dr. Stephen Archer’s name in a list of Order of Canada appointees. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada on June 26. As the Governor General’s website says, “Stephen Archer is an internationally acclaimed cardiologist. His seminal discoveries in pulmonary arterial hypertension and its underlying mechanisms have led to novel therapies and improved patient care. He has influenced important health care initiatives, including the creati

On June 29, along with our partner organization Scleroderma Canada and many others, we mark World Scleroderma Day. Scleroderma is a progressive autoimmune disorder that causes skin and internal organs to harden and thicken. It can cause scarring in the lungs and in the arteries of the lungs, affecting oxygen absorption. Each year about 1% of people with scleroderma develop pulmonary arterial hypertension, so there are many people with both scleroderma and pulmonary hypertensi

Talking about end-of-life decisions is never easy, but it’s an important conversation many in our community grapple with. A decade ago, Canada legalized medical assistance in dying (MAID). Since then, MAID has transformed end-of-life choice and care for thousands of people across the country. To mark this important milestone, our friends at Dying With Dignity Canada have released a new report examining public attitudes toward MAID. In the spring, PHA Canada invited Dying W

June 3 is Clean Air Day in Canada Air quality in Canada is relatively good, but anyone with pulmonary hypertension (PH) will be aware that air quality affects our health. Air pollution from humans burning fossil fuels for transportation, home heating and cooking, and in industry is significant, but due to climate change, air pollution from dust, pollen, and wildfires is also increasing. For people with pulmonary hypertension, air quality is especially important. On World Pulm

In Canada and around the world, June is recognized as Men’s Health Month. Men often delay seeking medical care and discussing symptoms openly, so this month, there is a heavy emphasis on encouraging men to seek support and get checked for any health concerns. The same pattern of delay in seeking medical care is also seen with pulmonary hypertension (PH), which mostly affects women. Despite the increased incidence of pulmonary hypertension in females, studies suggest that men

The Canadian Rare Disease Network (PHA Canada is a member) has launched a national scholarship supporting youth living with rare diseases to pursue post-secondary education in Canada. People between 17 and 29 years old, with any rare disease, are eligible. Scholarships are up to $5,000 for full-time students and up to $2,500 for part-time students. There's an information webinar on May 27—register here—and applications close June 12, 2026, at 5 pm Eastern time. See the CRDN w

I wrote No Cure for Me as a long-time survivor of pulmonary hypertension. Knowing that I may be one of Canada’s longest survivors, it sparked a thought—what if one day I became the world’s longest survivor? I’ve set my sights on living to 103, and along the way, I couldn’t help but imagine how remarkable it would be to earn a place in the Guinness World Records. That idea—part hope, part determination—became the seed for this thriller. Writing it was my way of blending realit

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patient Nicole Dempsey was involved in developing a new online Continuing Medical Education course, PAH in Practice: A Case-based Online Learning Program for Better Patient Care, alongside pulmonary hypertension experts Dr. Steeve Provencher, Dr. Kristina Kemp, and Dr. Rhea Varughese. This type of training is an important step forward in improving awareness and understanding of this rare condition: because PAH symptoms can be nonspecific

This week is Heart Failure Awareness Week. As this year's awareness campaign says, it's not normal to be breathless! Heart failure is, unfortunately, one of the consequences of pulmonary hypertension. The right side of the heart can adapt for a while by getting thicker and stronger, but it's hard to tell why it eventually starts to fail, and this happens at different times for different patients. Raising awareness about this serious condition is important: early detection hel

May 4-10 is Mental Health Week in Canada, and the theme is “Come Together, Canada.” PHA Canada Knowledge Philanthropist Lisa Harder talks about the meaning of connection. This year’s theme for Mental Health Week is all about the importance of connectedness in our overall well-being. Both social connections and connection with ourselves helps to foster resilience and to reduce the sense of isolation we may feel (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2026). While we can recogn

Two companies have announced good results from clinical trials in the past few weeks. Merck’s Phase 2 proof-of-concept CADENCE trial of two different doses of sotatercept for some Group 2 pulmonary hypertension patients succeeded. Trial participants had combined post- and precapillary pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (CpcPH-HFpEF). Participants who received sotatercept showed significant improvements in their pulmonary vascular resista

April 7 is National Caregiver Day Many pulmonary hypertension patients have caregivers, whether they’re the partners, parents, or children of patients. Caregivers make a major difference in patients’ lives, helping them manage their pulmonary hypertension and daily routines. Nearly half of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension rely on the help of a caregiver, underscoring just how essential this support truly is. Caregivers often take on a wide range of responsibiliti

This International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to recognize and celebrate women in all aspects of pulmonary hypertension research: women who agree to participate in clinical trials, women who are researchers, and women who are on health care teams at clinics where research takes place. In the past, it wasn’t unusual for women to be left out of clinical trials, particularly women of childbearing age. Because women were excluded from research studies, we don’t fully unders

March is National Nutrition month, and again the Dietitians of Canada have chosen Nourish to Flourish as the theme, highlighting “highlights the profound connections between food and overall well-being, emphasizing the transformative role of nutrition in our lives”. It’s a good reminder that the everyday choices we make around food can have a big impact on how we feel. Nutrition can be top of mind for people with pulmonary hypertension, who often need to keep a low-sodium di

Two companies have announced the results of clinical trials of drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension recently, neatly illustrating successful and unsuccessful results. Last week, Gossamer Bio announced that their drug, seralutinib, failed to meet the primary endpoint of its phase 3 PROSERA clinical trial . Gossamer’s stock price dropped precipitously. Interestingly, one of the reasons the study failed may have been an unusually good response to the placebo in some locatio

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month , we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. We’re learning more about how important social connections are—not only for our mental health, but for our physical health too! Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke . Social connections are so important for

What would you say to yourself at the moment everything changed? In this honest and inspiring talk, Derek Henderson of Toronto reflects on what he would tell his newly diagnosed self after learning he had CTEPH in 2012. From the shock of no longer being able to bike to undergoing PEA (PTE) surgery and adapting to lifelong blood thinners, Derek shares a journey shaped by resilience, humor, and hard-earned perspective. Guided by his motto — “If you’re going to be a duck, lea

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month , we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Everyone knows that exercise is good for your heart, and research shows it’s generally safe for pulmonary hypertension patients . But did you know that recent research found that switching up your exercise, instead of always doing the same workout

Living Grief Like many of you, I was raised in a culture where death was darkness, morose and devastating. When we wore black and spoke in hushed tones around the topic, bit never directly about it. IT... the word was taboo. Analogies of "going to sleep forever" and "crossing over to a better place" made the subject unattainable. My arm’s length relationship with death shrouded its mystery in a dark cloak. And then, at 37 years young, I learned that PAH was taking over. I h