Lara Govendo resides in Vermont as a wild, adventurous lady who also happens to be a licensed clinical professional counselor. She dives deep into controversial topics by talking about her own struggles to help others feel less alone, educate about all aspects of health, and encourage others that there’s always hope. Thanks to her double-lung transplant in 2017 due to cystic fibrosis, you can now find Lara ministering about Jesus, exploring the glorious outdoors with her husband, and belly laughing with people around the planet. She can be reached on her website at www.hungry4hopeconsulting.com.
Since my double-lung transplant seven years ago, I’ve struggled with breathlessness during exercise. I was used to this symptom while living with cystic fibrosis (CF) lungs, but I didn’t expect to deal with it post-transplant. It’s been frustrating…
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I had an identity crisis when I turned 30. At the time, everything that had previously defined me — my health, my job, my financial independence — had been stripped from me. It felt like the rug had been…
Since I had a double-lung transplant six years ago, my life has been a sea breeze compared with my life with lungs affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). Since everything seems easier now, I often forget that I…
“I don’t understand how you were laughing when all I wanted to do was cry,” my sister said, referring to the time before my double-lung transplant six years ago. In March 2017, I went into respiratory failure due…
Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) and transplanted organs has taught me a great deal about how to successfully travel by air with a chronic illness. While my medical needs look significantly different now than they did…
Throughout my journey with cystic fibrosis (CF) and double-lung transplant, I’ve learned what does and doesn’t work for me when it comes to receiving support from others. Following are a few guidelines that have been effective for…
After I had a double-lung transplant six years ago due to cystic fibrosis (CF), it was hard to look at myself in the mirror. I would stare at my stapled chest, and feelings of disbelief and…
Today’s society comes with the expectation that we should all meet certain life benchmarks by particular ages. We’re inundated with the “shoulds.” You should go to college and be successful right out the gate. You should get married by…
Inpatient hospital stays are common for those of us with cystic fibrosis (CF). Before my double-lung transplant almost six years ago, I’d live at the hospital for several weeks at a time. During those stays, I developed…
Last weekend, I finally got around to getting my yardwork done. I mulched around the walkway and the side of my condo and planted flowers in the garden. When a friend heard what I’d done, he asked, “Is that…
Throughout my journey with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a double-lung transplant, I’ve learned a thing or two about how medical trauma can affect mental and physical health. It’s been essential for me to realize that healing is…
Cystic fibrosis (CF) often feels like a foreign friend since I got new lungs five years ago. Before that, CF was my constant companion; I always felt its presence. With aggressive lung disease, I was continually congested,…
After I had flown under the radar for three years to avoid it, COVID-19 eventually hit me like a ton of bricks last January. Having cystic fibrosis (CF) and transplanted lungs added to the fear of what…
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