Allison F. (Calgary, AB)

When Allison was first diagnosed with CTEPH in 2019, she was taking an early childhood education course. Upon diagnosis, she ended up having to stop her studies, as her doctors had no idea what was going on medically, nor how serious it was. In late 2019, she went to so many different specialists just trying to figure out what was going on, and was then referred to a PH specialist, whereupon, after further testing, discovered that she had CTEPH. She underwent a right heart catheterization, and after testing her pressures, the doctors recommended that she be referred to a surgeon to have a PEA surgery. She had the surgery in 2020 in the middle of COVID and has since just been living her life one day at a time.

Since her diagnosis, she has gone on and had 2 beautiful children who are her whole world and take up the majority of her time. She has also been employed with Starbucks as a supervisor for the past 3 years. Despite a busy schedule, she still finds time for the things she enjoys, such as reading, playing the many instruments she has taught herself, cross-stitching, and, of course, going on adventures with her children.

Allison also has experience with:

• Pulmonary embolism

• Sleep apnea

• Parenting with PH