Since my kids were born, I’ve had two lung transplants and spent months in the hospital at a time for cystic fibrosis complications. It’s just as hard for my kids to go through as it is for me, so we make sure we talk about my CF openly as a family.
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I’m still trying to define who I am after a double-lung and liver transplant five years ago. Although I am much healthier, I sometimes still struggle with my physical and mental health, and I don’t know what I want to do next in my life.
I underwent liver and kidney transplants in 2021 after a successful lung transplant in 2012. For a number of reasons, the recovery from second transplant was much more difficult.
One of the reasons I decided to attend boarding school was to take charge of my cystic fibrosis care. Although I’m not perfect at taking care of myself, I learned that the importance of staying on top of treatments when my parents gave me the chance to fail.
I spent 2020 in COVID-19 quarantine and in the hospital separated from my family while waiting for transplant. I'm very grateful that the call came and I have new lungs -- and a new life.
I didn't know until date four that my future wife had cystic fibrosis and was a lung transplant recipient. She was too wonderful for me to care.
My school gave students a choice of how they want to go back to school: virtually or in person. After considering what made sense for my CF, learning style, and mental health, I decided to attend school in person.
When my university first shut down in March because of COVID-19, I thought our quarantine would be temporary. Now I am contemplating a fully online fall semester. I'm calling on all colleges to continue to accommodate the needs of their high-risk students.
When I met my husband, who has cystic fibrosis, he was listed for a double-lung transplant. I thought I was prepared for that. I wasn't.
Annoying though it may have been for me, my mom was determined to raise a daughter who was healthy despite CF. However, we would both soon realize that not every symptom is visible.