YAZMIN (RIVERA COLON) RIVERA COLON

MY LIFE, MY STORY

Yamin Rivera-Colon

1984 – 2026

My name is Yamin. People I love call me Yambo, Squirrel, and mom. I was born in Puerto Rico in 1984. There was my mom, my dad. I am the oldest and then goes my brother Rafael, and then my sister Marian.

My childhood was normal. I was always playing around, and I played volleyball at school. When I was in the 11th grade, I was kind of crazy and I didn’t want to go to school, so I quit school. But when I was 17 and I moved back to Holyoke with my grandma in 2000, I went and took English classes, and I took the GED in English and passed it!

A year later, in 2001, when the Twin Towers happened, more of my family moved over here for my brother’s health. In Puerto Rico, the health insurance is not good and my brother needed a specialized machine. He was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, so they tested the siblings and I found out that I had it too. It is like cystic fibrosis, but our cystic fibrosis was negative.

When I was in my early 20’s, I got married, and I moved here to Boston for a couple of years until 2004. When I got divorced and I went back to Holyoke I met Pedro in 2009. I went to a party at my cousin’s dad’s house. Pedro wanted to talk to me. As soon as he saw me, he said, “Whoa, that’s my future wife.” Lo and behold, we have been together since that day. He introduced me to his 6-year old and 8-year old kid. They are 23 and 24 now. They are my kids, too. I always tried to push him away saying, “ You can find someone else that’s healthy.” But he fought for my trust. I’ll always stay with him because when I started getting sick, everyone went away, but he was always there. He’s been there more than everybody. We have been together for almost 20 years.

I use to be a rental agent in Holyoke. That was 2008. I was around 20. I was showing an apartment and the person I was showing the apartment to told me I was turning blue. I went to the hospital. After that, I don’t remember anything else because my lungs weren’t inflating. After that, I was on oxygen 24/7 until 2016 when  I had my first lung transplant-both lungs.

When I was going through the process to look for a lung transplant, they told me I couldn’t have kids, but I always wanted kids. And I was already 4 months pregnant. So they had to stop the process for a little bit. A lot of people told me I should terminate the pregnancy because I could die, the baby could die. Every time I saw my lung doctor in Springfield, I 

went to the hospital. After that, I don’t remember anything else because my lungs weren’t inflating. After that, I was on oxygen 24/7 until 2016 when  I had my first lung transplant-both lungs.

When I was going through the process to look for a lung transplant, they told me I couldn’t have kids, but I always wanted kids. And I was already 4 months pregnant. So they had to stop the process for a little bit. A lot of people told me I should terminate the pregnancy because I could die, the baby could die. Every time I saw my lung doctor in Springfield, I 

would go back to the house crying because he wanted me to not have the baby. But then I changed doctors, and I had my son before I had my transplant.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was really addicted to Percocet because of the pain all of the time. But when I found out I was pregnant, I quit could turkey. Everybody, even the doctor, told me to go down little by little, but I said “No, I’m going to do this for my baby, anything for my son.” When I was 8 months pregnant, I had a lung collapse and I had a chest tube. That was more painful than the delivery. But I didn’t take Percocet. Anything for my baby.

My son was born in the  ICU, the only baby born in the ICU. I was 38 weeks. There were a lot of doctors to take care of the baby, and there were a lot of doctors for me. They brought me to the ICU  and induced me so that I didn’t have to push too hard. I only had a couple of pushes, and before he was halfway out, he was already screaming. Now Damian is healthy. He had an ear infection, and that’s it. He is the healthiest boy already, He is bigger than me, and he is in the fifth grade. He understands Spanish, but he doesn’t speak it Spanish.

My son was only a little more than 1 when I had my first transplant. I had the transplant. I was home in 2 weeks. Before my transplant, I didn’t like pickles or seafood- not even the smell. But after the transplant, I love both! I was doing phenomenal until 2021, when my mom, my grandmother, my brother, and me had COVID.

My mom passed away from COVID. She was in the hospital in Holyoke and they didn’t let people in. Pedro worked there a PCA so he was the only one who could see her. I would talk to her on the phone, so I could talk to her but I couldn’t see her. While she could talk, she kept telling me, “I’m feeling better. I’m feeling better.” Then she couldn’t talk and they had to intubate her. Pedro worked there so he was with her to the end, and I’m grateful that she wasn’t alone. I was really hard for everybody. I couldn’t go to the funeral because I was in the ICU.

In 2023, my brother passed away. He had the same condition as me bronchiectasis- and he also had pectus excavatum. In Puerto Rico, he had metal put in his chest. Over here, they tried to open his chest and take it out so that he could have a lung transplant. But as soon as they opened it, he was going to pass, so they closed it up. He was 33. My brother was really attached to my mom and my grandmother, so we think he died of a broken heart. But “respiratory failure” is what they put on the death certificate.

When I had the transplant, my condition didn’t come back like it does for CF patients. But when I had COVID, it damaged the lungs, and there was scar tissue everywhere. So in 2023, I had a second double lung transplant. Since then, I’m doing okay but all the medication damaged my kidneys and now I am doing dialysis. I need to have a kidney transplant.

We used to live in an apartment on the third floor, and Pedro used to carry me to the third floor every day in his arms. Now we moved in with my Uncle Miguel. It’s a lot better. I was my mom’s last wish that our family stays together, so we are honoring that.

Family is the most important thing to me. You can have your family where you came from, but more meaningful is the one that you crate between you and your other half and your kids. Even when I feel like giving up, I look at my kid and he give me the push to keep trying. My life revolves around my son, my miracle baby. He’s my savior. God knew how much I wanted him, and he’s more than I could ask for a kid, but Damian is wise. He takes care of me, and he is the first one there when I need someone. Sometimes I feel guilty because I want him to be a regular kid.

Damian means the world to me. I wake up, thinking of what I can do to make him happy. A lot of people think I baby him too much, but he is my only kid. Right now I’m focused on getting healthy and seeing my son grow. I want to make memories. I want to take him to Puerto Rico, but I want to have my kidney transplant first. Pedro is going to get tested. My uncle is going to get tested. Hopefully soon. A lot of people tell me I’m strong, but there’s no other way. I have to be.

My Life, My Story

Massachusetts General Hospital

Story of: Yazmin Rivera-Colon, age41

Collected on: February 25, 2026

Collected by: Julia Smotkin, Sonya Svyatskaya, and Kathy May Tran

For more information on

My Life, My Story

Email Dr. Kathy May Tran (MGH Hospital Medicine Unit) at

Kathy.tran@mgh,harvard,edu or 478-550-2064.

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