Ralph's Patient Story – Interstitial Lung Disease | Temple Health

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Schedule an appointment with the Temple Lung Center by calling 800-TEMPLE-MED (800-836-7536).

Ralph’s breathing was deteriorating rapidly, and his doctors in Central Jersey struggled to diagnose him. The Temple Lung Center worked as a team to diagnose Ralph's lung problem, a rare condition called polymyositis. Once the problem was identified, his pulmonologists were able to develop a personalized treatment plan that helped Ralph return to his everyday activities. His breathing improved with every appointment.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
My dad was always the rock of the family. So seeing him struggle to breathe, it was really heart-breaking. My dad was always so strong and independent. He fished with us, played tennis with us. He was always very active.

A few years ago, we started to notice a change in my dad. He started to have less energy. He would lose his breath a little more easily. He was on the couch. He had the oxygen mask. He wasn't able to do those things. It really was a shock to us. My dad was going downhill very quickly, and we knew something had to be done.

He was in and out of local hospitals a couple of times. Nobody was really able to accurately diagnose him. I think that was probably the scariest thing is not knowing what it was. We didn't know what was going to happen. Was he going to be OK? Was he going to make it? We knew we needed a place that had more experience. So they recommended the Temple Lung Center. And that was the best decision we ever made.

Immediately you could feel a difference at Temple. From the doctors to the testing that was done there. To even just sitting in the waiting room with the other lung patients. We just knew he was in the right place. He was going to get the best care he could. So I think at Temple Lung Center they just tend to see more cases like his. Things that are a little bit more rare. So they seem to have more knowledge. Just right off the bat they seemed to have a better understanding of what was going on with him. They really came up with a plan for him, how they could make him better, how they could treat him, and I felt like they found the right mix for him. You know, it was a combination of medicine, pulmonary therapy, oxygen. And they really knew what would get him back to where he was.

I love watching my kids with Grandpa and seeing them play with him and interact with him. And now knowing that he'll be around to see all those special moments that are still to come in their life is just amazing. I'm grateful to Temple because without Temple I don't think my dad would be where he is today. They gave him his life back. We got our dad back. The grandkids got Grandpa back. They didn't just give us hope. They gave us him, which is great.