ECMO Stories and Lessons: Your Voice Matters
Stories and practical insights from people who lived it and people who care for them
ecmo.life is now open to guest contributors.
If you’ve lived through ECMO as a patient, family member, or caregiver, I’d love to hear your story. And if you work with ECMO and want to help patients and families understand what this road can look like, I want your voice here, too.
This can be about any part of the journey. Before ECMO, when everything was changing fast. During ECMO, when the days blurred, and nothing felt normal. After ECMO, recovery was slow, confusing, and sometimes lonely. It can be about what helped, what didn’t, what surprised you, what you wish someone had told you, or what you learned the hard way. It can be one moment you can’t forget, or the full arc from crisis to recovery.
You don’t have to be a writer. You don’t have to make it perfect. If you can tell the truth in a way that might help the next person, that’s enough. Many people facing ECMO feel like they’re stepping into a world they don’t understand. A real story from someone who’s been there, or someone who cared for people there, can bring clarity and calm in a way a medical handout never can.
My role is to help you shape it. You can send a rough draft, a voice-note transcript, or even a few paragraphs and bullet points. I’ll edit for clarity and flow, format it for ecmo.life, and send it back to you for approval. Nothing gets published without your final say, because it’s your name, your experience, and your story.
Aim for 600-1,000 words, about a 3–5-minute read. If you want to contribute, email me, Jon, at ecmo143@ecmo.life or leave a comment on this post, and I’ll reach out. If you’re not sure what to write yet, that’s fine too. Just tell me you’re interested, and we can talk it through.