When I decided to study abroad in 1974, I also decided that I would not allow CF to stop me from living my life to the fullest.
Site Search
My oldest son, Nathan, was 18 years old when he was finally diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. While we both had been waiting a long time to get an answer to what had been plaguing him, I'd been hoping and praying that he'd escape the CF sentence. The diagnosis, however, did not come as a surprise because exactly 35 days earlier, my younger son, Caleb, at 14 years, had already been diagnosed with CF.
Cystic fibrosis can't take living away, especially when one loves life!
I knew that I needed to make a change when I began checking on home from the office and checking on work at odd hours from home.
While I am not grateful for having cystic fibrosis and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, I have no doubt that if it weren't for me having CF, I would not have become the person that I am today.
All my life I wanted an answer to why I was so sick. Then I got it, in the form of a CF diagnosis.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people raise millions of dollars for Great Strides -- the CF Foundation's largest national fundraising event. But did you know that the staff of the national office in Bethesda, Md., form their own department teams and also raise money alongside the CF community?
My life milestones wouldn't have been possible without the drive and dedication of the generous people who donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
When I was 13, my family went from having two seemingly normal kids to two CF patients in a manner of a few short months -- and boy, did it change everything. Because of my late diagnosis, I faced a unique set of challenges that helped make me the strong person I am today.
I started “striding” in 2011 and have made it a goal to participate every year. Here are the top five reasons why I stride and think others should too: