The Silent Battle

Today’s episode is going to be very bitter sweet. I've come to the decision very hard decision that I am going to take a step back from podcasting! Thank you for all the support of my listeners from the bottom of my heart!

Today ,I will be interviewing pharmacist Rachel Chelewski who is a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist for the Vanderbilt Transplant Pharmacy. She is here to speak to us regarding some of our medications we take and give us some tips on how to make life easier while taking these medications. This episode is aired on Pandora, Spotify, and Amazon. Donations to the podcast are gladly accepted through Cash...

Today, I will be interviewing a very special lady named Holly Kroeze. Holly is 24 years post double lung transplant! YES 24 YEARS YAY!! She received her double lung transplant in 2001 from University of San Francisco California. I definitely consider her a walking angel on earth. She is going to share her story regarding what led to her to needing a double lung transplant and how she is doing toda...

Today I will be interviewing Luther Brown JR from St. Augustine, FL. Luther has a very rare autoimmune disease called Antisynthetase Syndrome (A.S.S). Today, he is going to share his raw and candid story about his journey with (A.S.S) and how he manages his symptoms. Also, he will give us some tips if he has any on what may help you all out there to live life more easily as we battle our diseases....

Today I will be interviewing Lisa Coscia who is the senior research coordinator for The Transplant Pregnancy Registry International, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. The Transplant Pregnancy Registry International studies the outcomes of pregnancies in any solid organ transplant recipient worldwide. This is going to be a great segment for ladies like myself who are post-lung transplante...

Today, I will be interviewing April Meade. April is from Maryland, and she has Interstitial Lung Disease that was brought on by the autoimmune mixed connective tissue disease. She has been battling ILD since 2018. She has completed her pre transplant work up at INOVA Fairfax hospital pulmonary transplant clinic in Virginia. She is currently waiting now for her case to be presented to the board so...

Today, I will be interviewing social worker Taylor Riggsbee. Today’s segment is very important and much needed for people who are chronically ill because we often times are so focused on our physical health, and we tend to forget the importance of our mental health which is not good because our mental health is just as important as our physical health. This episode is aired on Spotify, Pandora, an...

Today I will be interviewing my friend and Vanderbilt Medical Center respiratory therapist Ashley Wright. I asked Ashley to come on here today and talk with you all about the importance of respiratory care when you are facing lung disease, lung transplant, or autoimmune diseases that affect your lungs. Also, I am sure she will have some good tips for us on how to keep our lungs as healthy as possi...

March is National Kidney Month. Today I have asked kidney warrior Chandler Jackson from Macon, GA to be apart of The Silent Battle podcast to share his journey regarding his battle with Lupus and Kidney Failure/ Dialysis. This podcast is aired on Pandora, Spotify, and Amazon. Chandler's journey regarding his battle with his kidney failure is shared openly by him on Tik Tok. Life is Tough But So Ar...

Today ,I will be interviewing physical therapist, Chris Turner. Chris and I met at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. I was actually a patient of his when I was in the hospital recovering from my double lung transplant surgery. I asked him to come on here today and share with us the benefits and importance of physical therapy after having major surgery. This episode is aired on...

Today, I would like to introduce you all too Alaina Muckell. Alaina is a good friend of mine who resides in Newton, Connecticut. Alaina was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Alaina and I met in Durham, NC at Duke University Hospital about 7 years ago. We both needed transplants, but I wasn’t as sick as she was at the time we met. I was just beginning my process of seeking out a lung transplant cente...

Happy New Year! Welcome back to The Silent Battle Podcast Season 4! I am your host Erica Honeycutt! I am excited to reconnect with you all! If you all have anything you would like me to share on the podcast this season please let me know or if you have any topic ideas please let me know! Please email me at thesilentbattle2022@gmail.com or message me on my Facebook page The Silent Battle. Podcast....

Today, I will be interviewing Heather MacKenzie. Heather is originally from Detroit, Michigan, however she resides in Denver, Colorado. She was diagnosed with Acute and Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. Her condition is very rare and is shared only by 2 to 3 people in 100,000 each year. Today, Heather is going to share her raw and candid story about her journey with Hypersensitivity Pneumoniti...

Today, I will be interviewing Heather MacKenzie. Heather is originally from Detroit, Michigan, however she resides in Denver, Colorado. She was diagnosed with Acute and Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. Her condition is very rare and is shared only by 2 to 3 people in 100,000 each year. Today, Heather is going to share her raw and candid story about her journey with Hypersensitivity Pneumoniti...

Today I will be interviewing Heather MacKenzie. Heather is originally from Detroit, Michigan, however she resides in Denver, Colorado. She was diagnosed with Acute and Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. Her condition is very rare and is shared only by 2 to 3 people in 100,000 each year.

Today, I will be interviewing Cheryl Jackson. Cheryl is originally from Gainesville, FL, however she currently resides in Murfreesboro, TN. She was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Her rheumatologist later discovered that her IPF came from the autoimmune disease Myositis (which is very similar to Lupus). As Cheryl’s disease progressed, she underwent a double lung transplant in F...

Today, I will be interviewing Deb Schroeder. Deb is originally from California, but she has been living in Utah for the past 30 years and she has RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis )Interstitial Lung Disease. Today, she is going to share with us her raw and candid story about her journey with RA ILD and how she manages her symptoms. Also, she will give us some tips if she has any on what may help you all ou...

Today, I will be interviewing Dr. William Schaffner. Dr. Schaffner is Professor of Preventive Medicine with a primary appointment in the Department of Health Policy as well as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. I asked him to come on the podcast to discuss illnesses that can be potentially transferre...

Today I will be interviewing Robin Fountain who is a Public Affairs Specialist with the Social Security Administration. I know a lot of you out there have had a lot of questions surrounding applying for disability and the process of getting Medicare. So, Robin is here today to help answer some of these general questions. Below I have also listed some important helpful links to information online o...

Today ,I will be interviewing a special friend of mine ,Lisa Ezell ,from Murfreesboro, TN. Lisa's husband ,Eddie Ezell, was diagnosed with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) with unknown origins. Eddie received a double lung transplant in September of 2022, and Lisa was his primary caregiver. Today, she is going to shed some light on what it is like to take on the role of being a primary caregive...

The Month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Therefore, today I will be interviewing licensed master social worker and behavioral health therapist Shawn Daniels. This segment is very important and much needed for people who are chronically ill because we often times are so focused on our physical health, and we tend to forget the importance of our mental health which is not good because our...

Today, I will be interviewing a friend of mine and chief meteorologist for Nashville News 2 , Danielle Breezy. Danielle and I met at a Lung Force Walk for the Nashville American Lung Association a few years back. She is a huge advocate for lung disease /lung cancer. Today she is going to share with us how she feels regarding the importance of the fight against lung disease/lung cancer.

Today, I will be interviewing Sunil Kokal. Sunil resides near Toronto, Canada ,and was initially diagnosed with Non Specific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP). Sunil is going to share his raw and candid story about his journey with ILD and how he manages his symptoms. Also, he will give us some tips if he has any on what may help you all out there to live life more easily as we battle our diseases.

Today, I will be interviewing a friend of mine, Annabelle Kim. Annabelle is from Los Angeles, California, however she resides in Edmonds, Washington. Annabelle was diagnosed with autoimmune lung related interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis in February of 2023 in her third trimester of her pregnancy. However, on February 7th of this year at the University of Washington, she got approved...

Today I will be interviewing Nikkie Foster from Dayton, Ohio. Nikkie was diagnosed with Non Specific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP) back in December of 2015. However, in January of 2020 she received the most precious gift, two new lungs from a selfless donor. Nikkie is going to share her raw and candid story about her journey with NSIP and how she managed her symptoms and also share how she is feel...