I realized something was wrong with my health because I couldn’t talk at the same time as I was walking. I had extreme difficulty breathing.

Everybody was really super and gave me lots of support. When I was first diagnosed, I was in the hospital from mid November until just before Christmas, and many of my friends visited me and brought cookies like the ones I normally would have baked for them and my family.

It wasn’t easy for people to accept my illness in the beginning because there were so many things I could not do any more. It simply wasn’t possible with the treatment to do things like go hiking, go to concerts or go on vacation.

Since it is such a rare disease, most people did not know what to think when I told them I had been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. Only through different campaigns launched by the “Lungenhochdruck” self-help group did it become easier for people to understand my illness.

I always wanted to believe I was strong and invulnerable and it took a long time for me to understand that I really am seriously ill. That is why it was so hard for me to tell everyone how bad I was feeling.

I have lived with the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension for 16 years now and I can honestly say, that despite certain restrictions, it is still possible to live a very good life.