At The Bedside: For Jesus Mata, living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is not the end, but the beginning
In Mata’s case, he did not view his diagnosis negatively. He saw it as a chance to really live and hopes to inspire others along the way. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)
Since he could remember, Jesus Mata has always had a cough he could not seem to kick. He had no idea that his simple cough was a sign of a serious and life-altering illness.
In 2020, Mata felt pain in his right side and was rushed to the emergency room to have his appendix removed. After his appendectomy, doctors informed him they had found cancer, and he was forced to go back into surgery. The team removed a portion of his intestine, and he was cancer free, but doctors brought another worry to his attention.
“When they were inside, they noticed I had some scar tissue on my lungs,” Mata said. “It was hard to hear because I just beat cancer, and now they are telling me I have to beat something else?”
Mata was referred to Rodeo Abrencillo, MD, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Abrencillo diagnosed Mata with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the worst form of pulmonary fibrosis.