I've never been one to completely freak out over something like a cough, so when I started experiencing one that seemed especially persistent, I figured it was just the start of your typical sickness. It was late fall in 2017 and I was traveling a lot at the time. Everyone around me was getting sick, so I figured it had finally caught up to me, too.

My boyfriend, Jason, and I had also just returned from a trip to Europe, so I thought maybe I hadn't totally caught up on sleep. Once winter rolled around, getting through work and the holidays consumed most of my time, so I ignored the fact that my cough was still present at the start of the new year. I felt fine, my energy was great, and I didn’t think too much about it. My body would bounce back.

But the cough didn't go away. By late February in 2018, the cough had become extremely persistent and felt so much worse. I was coughing all the time—whenever I laughed or had a long conversation.

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