In October of 2009, Susan Guidry was diagnosed with a mysterious and fatal disease -- pulmonary fibrosis. It is the scarring of the lungs which robs victims of their ability to breathe.

Susan now devotes what little breath she has to being an advocate for this dreadful disease.

Guidry, daughter of the late Juanita Menard and Woodrow Guidry, is a Kaplan native.

Before being diagnosed, she was a picture of good health. She had been living in Lafayette, and working at Jefferson Street Market for over 13 years. In October 2009, she developed a persistent dry hacking cough with a touch of bronchitis. None of that would prepare her for the events which quickly unfolded. Guidry awoke one morning feeling light headed and eventually fainted. After being rushed to the emergency room, Susan was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, but her condition made a drastic turn for the worse.

Unfortunately, she has no personal recollection of the following three-and-a-half weeks. She was admitted into ICU and placed into a medically induced coma, complete with ventilator, feeding tube, and tracheotomy.

Coming out of sedation, doctors informed Guidry she was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. she had 2-5 years left to live, and she may even need a lung transplant in the future.

Susan reveals, “Because of the trache and not being able to talk, I could only listen to what everyone was telling me and it was a very scary feeling. I kept saying to myself ‘Oh my God! What is going on?’”

Later, Susan would learn from her children that she had spent two of the three-and-a-half weeks on her death bed in ICU, with doctors telling them there was nothing more to be done for their mother.

“I can say for a fact that God wasn’t ready for me,” Susan comments, “He has given me a second chance at life and I am so grateful to it all. So you see the doctors do not have the last word, God does!”

So what exactly is pulmonary fibrosis? Mayo Clinic describes it as damaged, thickened, and scarred lung tissue which makes it difficult for the lungs to work correctly. Since the lungs cannot properly move oxygen into the bloodstream, the brain and other organs do not receive sufficient oxygen. Most cases are idiopathic, but some suspected contributing factors includes cigarette smoking, environmental contaminants, viral or bacterial lung infections, acid reflux/GERD, and certain medications such as antibiotics, antiarrythmics, anticonvulsants, chemotherapeutic agents, and therapeutic radiation. Pulmonary fibrosis affects approximately 200,000 Americans and an estimated 40,000 Americans succumb to the disease each year.

Susan’s brush with death left her severally weakened. It took months of physical therapy in a nursing home and a rehabilitation hospital before Susan could learn to walk again. However, the challenges she felt did nothing to put damper on her cheerful disposition.

Today, over two years since her initial diagnosis, Susan’s daily life is a constant struggle. She had to abandon her Lafayette town house in favor of a smaller Kaplan apartment, to be near her daughters.

The disease has taken away many things from Susan’s life and has left her dealing with many issues, such as difficulty breathing, dry hacking cough, headaches, sleepless nights, memory loss, hair loss, hearing loss, eye sight weakness, lower back pain, changes to taste and smell, and many difficulties with her bones, joints and muscles.

In addition, Guidry suffers from diabetes, thyroid imbalance, and a baker’s cyst in her right calf.

“I have to carry masks everywhere I go because I never know when a coughing attack will happen or a smell will hit me, causing me to lose my breath. I am no longer that foot loose and fancy free gal, who at one time didn’t have a care in the world.

“I was very independent and lived on my own, had a great job that I truly loved, and did lots of traveling. Most of that has come to a stop. I am so limited to what I can and cannot do.”

The most bothersome issue, aside from the restricted breathing, is that of smells. The smell of second hand smoke, perfumes, air fresheners, candles, aerosol sprays, cleaning supplies, and even certain laundry detergents are all irritants to her throat and lungs.

Susan reveals, “I often get asked, ‘Why don’t you ever come visit?’ A lot of people don’t understand that it is easier said than done.

“First, most everyone has some sort of scent or smell in their homes. In my case, it doesn’t take very much to set off the coughing, gagging, and my shortness of breath. In order for me to go anywhere, I have to call my friends in advance to undo the plug-ins, air out the house, turn off air fresheners, remove the candles, etc. and the list goes on. So for that reason, I stay home a lot.”

If it wasn’t for the love and support of friends and family, she wouldn’t still be here today.

“I am so grateful for all my family and friends who believed in me. I want to thank everyone who stood by me, especially Bonnie, Catherine, Mary, Patricia, Brian, Johnny, Larry, and Donald. Also, big thanks to class members who visited me, as well. All of you have shared a very special part of my life. Thanks for being special friends.”

Even though the future looks grim for Guidry, she takes it all in stride. “So basically, you just live from day to day. So now I am the child and my children are the parents, and I thank God they are here to take care of me, as I am so very grateful and love all of them very much.”

She was recently the recipient of a prayer blanket from the Diocese of Lafayette.

These blankets are made by volunteers who commit to prayer as they are fulfilling their part in the construction of the blanket.

Each month, the blankets are prayed over and blessed by a priest and given to an individual as a symbol of “faith sharing community” praying for the them. They are given to bring relief to the suffering and peace to the fearful and to let they are not alone because there are others praying for their healing.

Guidry has three daughters, Amy Gaspard, Kristy Lege, and Pamela Lege and six grandchildren. She spends her spare time spreading the word and educating people on pulmonary fibrosis, and is very appreciative for a second lease on life.