I gravitated toward a career in health care almost without thinking about it. It has been rewarding, but it has cost me too.
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When I ran into a particularly difficult situation with my last job, the “d” word entered my lexicon for the first time: disability. While my life doesn't look like I thought it would, I have come to accept where I am and gained a new perspective on work and life.
As an infertile man with cystic fibrosis, I never thought my wife and I would be on the cusp of our first pregnancy. Fortunately, over the last 18 months, we've learned a thing or two about navigating the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process.
As a teacher with cystic fibrosis, I find it no surprise that heading back to school can be a shock to my system. But over the years, I've learned that if I can remember three main things, I can stay healthy through the transition back to school.
After leaving a job where all of my colleagues knew that I have CF, I've chosen to stay guarded in my new work environment and not take the risk of telling anyone about CF, including my superiors.
As I have grown in my professional career, I have gone from speaking as little as I can about cystic fibrosis at work to being open about having CF and how it affects me.
Like many of my millennial compatriots, I was booted from my parents' health plan when I turned 26. While my friends were shrugging health insurance off as just another growing pain of their 20s, I was panicking.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh wanted to better understand the realities of parenting as a person with cystic fibrosis, so they collected firsthand accounts from members of the CF community.
I was determined to finish school and set a good example for my children. Along the way, I learned how important it is to have a strong support system to help manage the challenges that can come with cystic fibrosis while I pursue my dreams.
Working in the medical field while having cystic fibrosis isn’t easy. But my occupational therapy career has helped me develop skills that make it easier for me to find a healthy balance between work and life with CF.