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.
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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.
March on the Hill brings a mix of new and familiar faces to Capitol Hill every year. The connections and stories that our advocates share with their elected officials are making lasting impressions that impact the entire CF community. And as this event has grown, so too has the cystic fibrosis story.
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.
Last month, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and I partnered to create the Cystic Fibrosis Caucus in the U.S. Senate. We are working toward a day when CF stands for “Cured Forever.”
A day spent visiting a care center proved the perfect introduction to the CF story for legislative staffers.
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.