My life was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis caused by a rare mutation, but my passion for figure skating has helped me stay healthy and happy through it all.
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My whole life I pushed myself physically and mentally to achieve my dream in professional wrestling. It turns out I wasn’t dealing with CF. CF was dealing with me.
Michael Burke bicycled 480 miles in six days to raise money for cystic fibrosis — an unprecedented challenge that he used to think was impossible until advances in CF care helped him live boldly.
Although I admired bodybuilders when I was growing up, I thought pumping iron and building muscle was impossible with cystic fibrosis — so I didn’t even try. After a hospitalization, my passion for fitness was rekindled and I discovered I could build muscle mass and improve my health.
Growing up, I always tried to stay active, but it wasn’t until I was hospitalized that I decided martial arts would be the outlet to keep me healthy and boost my confidence.
When I realized how much my nutrition strategy was impacting my performance as a marathon runner, I decided to reevaluate my plan to be more intentional about how to best fuel my body before running.
When my wife convinced me to undertake a hike up to Angel's Landing, I pictured the physical challenge of it, not the friendship we would develop with another couple on the way up.
After starting Trikafta, I decided to try running again, and I grew to love it. Because of COVID, I had to conduct my own races in 2020, but now I have joined a running group and am preparing to run my first marathon at the end of September.
My younger sister and I both have CF. Growing up, I tried to be a role model for her in managing the day-to-day challenges. Today, she is the one inspiring me.
I’ve been a runner for most of my life. After having to drop out of three previous marathons because of my CF, I was finally ready to run this year’s Boston Marathon.