Right now, HGTV star Ty Pennington is preparing for new seasons of “Rock the Block” and “Battle on the Beach.” But in the meantime, he’s working on a project very near and dear to his heart.
World Lung Day is on September 25 and is designed to spread awareness about various respiratory conditions. While Pennington recognized the day, he wants to keep his advocacy going.
He bravely spoke about his mother’s lifelong battle with bronchiectasis and how he hopes to change lives by spreading awareness.
Ty Pennington Sheds Light on His Mother’s Health Complications
Ty Pennington grew up in Georgia throughout the 1960s and ’70s. He and his brother were raised by their mother before their stepfather eventually joined the family. Pennington reflected on his mother’s health issues while speaking to EntertainmentNow editor Lauren Weigle.
“So my mom has been battling some type of respiratory issue for as long as I can remember,” the HGTV host shared with us. “What I mean by that is that I can’t remember when she wasn’t coughing and she would constantly have these lung infections that kept coming back.”
Pennington remembers thinking that the entire family became used to his mother’s condition and accepted it. Things changed around 20 years ago when she finally received her bronchiectasis diagnosis.
“The thing is a lot of people have never heard of this,” Pennington explained. “But it can sort of mask itself as COPD or asthma. Sometimes you can have all three. Basically, with bronchiectasis it can actually lead to lung damage.”
The hardest part for the family was watching such a strong, intelligent single mother battle such significant health issues.
He added that the situation was “really frustrating” because there wasn’t much the family could do to help.
“We didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t understand why it kept coming back and she didn’t understand either,” the HGTV star added. “Finally getting that clarity and understanding what she was dealing with was huge. I think it’s the unknown that’s so confusing and leads people to not knowing what to do and blaming it on all kinds of different things, including humans.”
The Family Pulled Together to Spread Awareness
After Ty Pennington’s mother learned she had bronchiectasis, the family wanted to do something to help.
“That’s why I’ve teamed up with Insmed, we’re really sharing our stories,” the HGTV star told us, sharing the importance of the website, Suspect Bronchiectasis . “It’s a place where you can find out so much more about bronchiectasis, but you can also share stories of other families much like my own.”
“I think it’s one of those things in life where you realize it’s great to know you’re not alone and other people are going through this,” the 61-year-old added.
Now, Ty Pennington wants others to seek treatment as soon as possible.
“I think the other thing is I’ve got guilt because of so many years that my mom went undiagnosed that maybe we could have done something, but we didn’t know what she was dealing with,” he continued. “And I think there’s a lot of families that haven’t taken that deeper look. So that’s what suspectbe is all about. It’s encouraging them to see a pulmonologist, maybe get a CT scan, find out one way or another if they have bronchiectasis or not. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about making sure you don’t waste the time you have in life where you want to spend quality time with your loved ones.”
The HGTV Host Encourages Others to Get an Examination
Though dealing with a serious diagnosis like bronchiectasis can certainly be frightening. Even so, Ty Pennington says they’ve all used humor to help navigate the situation.
“I think humor is what helped me cope,” he told us. “That’s what I love about my mom. Even though she struggled with all of this her entire life, she finds a way to make a joke, to find the funniness in it all. And I think she shared that gift with me.”
After 20 years of having a diagnosis, Ty Pennington’s family remains determined to spread the word and encourage others to get checked out.
“If it can help bring awareness of other people that their loved one can be living with this condition and they not even know it, that’s what we want to do,” he said about his campaign. “My mom is so fun, so funny, even though she’s battled so much. If we can share that story and inspire other people while also making them realize they’re not alone, then that’s what we wanna do. That’s what Suspect Bronchiectasis is all about.”
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EXCLUSIVE: Ty Pennington Bravely Opens Up About His Mother’s Battle Against Bronchiectasis