I’m Aware That I’m Rare: Evelyn Keltgen (374)

The phaware® interview

Pediatric pulmonary hypertension patient, Evelyn Keltgen, discusses being diagnosed with PH at 6 weeks old. At age 9, Evelyn learned that her PH was connected to TBX4 gene mutation. She enjoy horseback riding, volleyball, and playing the saxophone. Evelyn is working towards becoming a veterinarian after high school.

Evelyn Keltgen:
My name is Evelyn Keltgen. I live in Minnesota and I was born with pulmonary hypertension. I was diagnosed at six weeks old. I’ve had it my whole life, so I just deal with it. I always had it, so I’ve never known any different. I wasn’t allowed to go to preschool because of germ exposure. I started school in kindergarten instead. So, every day I’d go down to the nurse, get my temperature checked, because at that time, I’d get really flushed during the day. I’ve never come to a big realization, because I’ve just always known. I had a 504 plan so that I could limit myself doing PE, because that’s when it really affected me. Sitting in class, I’m fine, unless there’s bad air quality that day. I’ve always had to limit myself, so I…