Who We Are....

The Northwest ARDS Support Network is composed of a group of individuals who have been personally affected by ARDS.

Meg Tapucol-Provo, the founder of the Northwest ARDS Support Network, shares her personal story of how she came to create this organization.  

Meg Tapucol-Provo, Founder         

I am an ARDS survivor.  As you might already know, ARDS itself is not a specific disease, but rather an acute dysfunction of the lungs that may be caused by a variety of precipitating events.

On December 28, 1998, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and was relieved that I would finally be leaving Swedish Medical Center after five weeks of hospital bed rest.  Unfortunately, about 40 minutes after I gave birth I went into cardiac arrest.  I had suffered an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare condition where amniotic fluid enters into your bloodstream.  I was revived after 45 minutes of resuscitation; however, I had a host of complications that resulted in a nine-week stay in the Intensive Care Unit breathing on a ventilator.  These included ARDS, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy (DIC), acute renal failure resulting in daily dialysis, liver failure resulting in severe jaundice, sepsis, and the rupturing of an artery resulting in a gigantic abdominal hematoma.  The chances of my surviving even one of these conditions were almost nonexistent.

However, I DID survive, and I attribute my survival to all the love that surrounded me.  My husband, Tom, was an angel, who made his presence known in the ICU and tirelessly worked as my advocate.  He demanded explanations of everything and became very much a part of my care.  He could not have done all he did without all the support he received from our family members and our friends.  It was amazing how everyone rallied around Tom and me and supported us in every way imaginable.

When I think back to that time that I was on a ventilator battling ARDS, I remember feeling so alone.  I would have appreciated meeting someone who had been through what I was going through, just to know that there was someone who truly understood what it was like.

I have since made contact with other ARDS survivors, here in Washington state and across the country.  You  cannot imagine how wonderful it is to meet others who have shared in the experience of having ARDS.  Just knowing that someone else has been there is very comforting.  My husband, too, has found comfort in meeting others who have been through the difficult ordeal of being a caregiver for an ARDS patient.  Everyone affected by ARDS can gain something by meeting others who've been there.

Because of advances in medicine, there are many survivors living normal lives after having suffered ARDS.  Knowing that there is hope, even after insurmountable odds,  helps patients and families maintain positive attitudes during ARDS crisis.  And meeting other survivors can help facilitate the sometimes difficult physical and emotional recovery period post-ARDS.