So, before we get going, this is really my first attempt at a blog… here we go.
It’s no secret that I have cystic fibrosis, it shouldn’t be. It is apart of me, but it doesn’t define who I am. I never let my disease dictate my life. I have so much more to live for.
I have to say, my life has been quite the ride. Although, ride probably isn’t the best word to use when it comes to talking or writing about cystic fibrosis, it sure has felt like one. I have had plenty of high moments, but, unfortunately, there have been quite a few low moments as well. There have been memories made and a few experiences I have had to miss out on. There are times when I am perfectly fine and fully functional, but there are also episodes when I am hunched over coughing up blood. My life can be pretty graphic at times; through only 23 years so far I have seen quite a few things people my age shouldn’t have to see.
I want to use this blog to share some of my experiences so that hopefully when you, whoever you are, read this you can see the world as I see it. You can appreciate life as a whole. I want you to laugh and have fun while you read, I do not want you to feel sorry for me, or feel like the world is some cruel unfair place. The truth of the matter is that I was dealt a certain hand of cards, and I am making the best of it.
If I held a grudge for the fact that I was born with cystic fibrosis, I don’t think I would get anywhere in life. It would be a waste of time. It wasn’t bad luck, I wasn’t cursed, it just happened. It has been a privilege to meet other CF patients who handle the disease so well. Their strength in dealing with day-to-day life is truly inspirational. I don’t think I would have had the chance to meet as many amazing as I have if I was born without CF. I hope other patients who read this can somehow use some of my experiences, both good and bad, to enhance their own lives.
The bottom line is that my family, my friends and I have all taken the disease head on. I can promise you that I will never quit. Things have looked pretty bleak at times, but I’ve bounced back, I always have and I always will continue to do so. It is amazing how far we have come since I was diagnosed in 1993. I, along with every other CF patient worldwide, have benefited directly from the heightened awareness around the disease. It is pretty rare that I meet someone now who has no idea what cystic fibrosis is, and I think that is a major reason many of us continue to live our lives to the fullest.
There is no reason, in my mind, this disease should be the end of the world for people stricken with it. CF is just a challenge that I, along with however many other patients, have to overcome. It is not impossible to win this fight, nothing is.
