I’m Aware That I’m Rare: Alicia and Adriana Kubes (283)

The phaware® interview

Sisters Alicia and Adriana Kubes discuss Alicia’s pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and Adriana’s role as a caregiver and ways they are facing this chronic illness together.

Alicia:
My name is Alicia Kubes and I’m a pulmonary hypertension patient.

Adriana:
Hi, my name is Adriana Kubes and I’m a pulmonary hypertension caregiver.

Alicia:
I’d been feeling off for a long time. I know that back in 2010 I had some heart palpitations and I went and did all the testing and nothing showed up. I just thought I was having panic attacks and was just getting really tired. I use public transportation in New York city, so when I wasn’t able to walk up the stairs, I knew that something was wrong, but it took several months of blood tests and EKG’s. Nothing came up that said anything. Finally, in the new year when I had an echocardiogram, that’s when they noticed that there were very high pressures in my lungs. By that point, I was swollen all over my body…