In 2018, Julie Silverman developed a bad cough. She went to her primary care doctor, who 1  her to other doctors, but no one could diagnose (诊断) the 2  of the cough, or find a way to treat it.

Over the next few years, the cough got 3  . Silverman was going to weekly appointments (预约),which was where she4  a nurse practitioner named Alison.

"She was really 5 about this cough and often asked me how I was doing," Silverman remembered, "I, at this point, paid little attention to her 6 , because I had been told by so many doctors as ‘Just relax. You're not responding to our7 .'"

But Alison's response was different, and she did care about Silverman. When Silverman came in for one of her weekly appointments, Alison 8 that her condition had worsened. Alison told one of the doctors that he should 9 it carefully. When the check-up was over, Silverman could 10 by their faces something was not 11 . Her airway was 75% blocked by scar tissue (瘢痕组织), which made her hardly12 . "This is a very rare condition. It only happens to about one in 400, 000 people," the doctor said. "So it is very13 if not treated."

The diagnosis gave Silverman the information she needed to find a specialist who could14  treat her. Now she spends her time volunteering at her local hospital, riding her bike and hiking. She often 15  Alison while doing the things that bring her joy.