My mother died of Interstitial Lung Disease and while doing so I was focused on her until she died. Following that I started to feel breathlessness and was diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease, my mother was diagnosed early and lasted 7 years, I believe I had already had it for a year or more before being diagnosed. My lung capacity was 21%, I was referred to a lung specialist who proved to be an oxygen thief as I had admitted to being an ex-smoker and he seemed to be dragging me along, 7 months of him doing so I awoke in Intensive Care after 5 weeks of intubation, my wife ensured I was placed into the hospital my specialist was as I had awoken hypoxic and was rushed to Emergency. I could not even lift my finger or talk when I awoke. I fought over 4 months to regain the ability to move with the help of a team of physio therapists, but my lungs were deteriorating rapidly. I eventually had to be placed on high flow oxygen to enable me to continue physio, but just standing for 40 seconds dropped my saturation to 51%. I then began to request assessment for a lung transplant pointing out how I was let down by one of the lung clinic team members. I was rushed through the assessment process and told I had a 5% chance of survival, I was persistent for the sake of my wife and kids, and I was successful. After the operation I was in Intensive Care for another month and defied the odds as I sit here almost four years later, it has been no walk in the park, but I have been given a second chance. I was one of the luckiest people ever to need a transplant, after being approved I signed paperwork related to the operation and a donor was found 6 hours later. I was operated on the day after being approved. You have to advocate for yourself and push your doctors (if that is what you want to do), my mother refused to entertain the idea of a transplant, I felt I had no choice. I am lucky I am Australian and it cost me nothing.