My wife has Pulmonary Fibrosis ... a condition where lung tissue has been inflamed by some contaminate and the immune system generates a run away reaction that can't stop. It inflames one part of the lung tissue and then grows ... until you have no more lung tissue left and the person dies from it.

My wife was infected by what we think was a minor virus or bacterial infection about six years ago and since then, the infection grew out of control until she had this permanent fibrosis. It wasn't because she was weak, was more exposed or less exposed or whatever ... I had the same infection but I got over it, she didn't. And this type of infection can be caused by viruses, bacteria, mold, chemical or biological contaminants.

When I talked to a doctor friend of ours about it later, he said it was just luck of the draw. Your lung tissue is basically delicate tissue that is directly exposed to the environment ... it can be affected by anything and sometimes the right event happens to trigger an immune response in the wrong way ... it's like an infection lottery ... most times people get infected and then recover ... but every once in a while, you win the infection lottery and your immune system is triggered and you now have runaway fibrosis and a ticket to an early death.

No medical expert can say why it happens, how or to whom but it happens ... and it almost doesn't matter if you are unhealthy, healthy, fit, young, old, fat, skinny or whatever genetics, its basically just chance infections ... not every time and not to everyone but if you happen to be the lucky person to win this great lottery, then your lungs are screwed.

TIL: I can die from tear gas exposure.