Menu Close

My name is Greg Bowdish.

Welcome to my story…. 

I have been known for many things over the course of my life: bicycle racer, fly fishing guide, Pro kayak angler, outdoor writer, fly casting instructor, sea kayaker, novelist, screenwriter, and internet marketer. But slowly over the last decade, a new identity has taken over my life – idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patient. Now, I’m also a double lung transplant recipient.

I truly wish this fatal lung disease wasn’t going to be the main focus of this blog (at least for now), but after losing my mother to IPF and being lucky enough to have my surgery as I approached the end stages of the disease myself, I feel compelled to share my experiences in the hope that it can help others dealing with this horrible disease.

I want to loudly express my deep gratitude to Vanderbilt Health for giving me a second chance at life! After a frustrating 10 months in Emory’s pre-lung transplant program waiting to be listed—and finally being turned down because I’d deteriorated to the point where they considered me to be too sick to be a candidate—Vanderbilt took me in and accomplished in a week what Emory could not—or would not—do in 10 months.

I still have a long road before me. There will be months of recovery, and Vanderbilt will keep me close while they monitor the dangers associated with a compromised immune system and the possibility of organ rejection. That’s something I will live with for the rest of my days, so there’s still a difficult journey ahead.

Whether you are family or a friend who want updates on how I’m doing, you’ve been diagnosed with IPF yourself, or your maybe are headed down the path of lung transplantation, I’m hoping this blog will be a valuable resource or at least provide insight and comfort to anyone who’s life has been affected by IPF.

So please join me on this new adventure. Like the many adventures of my former life I can only promise it will be a bumpy ride.

I’ve also started a GoFundMe to meet the fundraising goals required to cover the expensive medications I need and many of the costs related to pre and post-transplant care.

Any help you can give is so deeply appreciated.

Latest Post