Learning that your child has cystic fibrosis can be overwhelming. You may feel sad, guilty, scared, or even angry, but you are not alone. We are here to help.
Site Search
Learn about cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs, and how to treat and live with this chronic disease.
If you're the parent of a child with cystic fibrosis, you probably know the worry that comes along with sending your kid away to summer camp. To ensure that my own kids with CF were cared for at camp, I wrote the following letter outlining their special medical needs.
Our community's shared journey makes us unique and unites us in the hardest of times for some and the most hopeful for others.
Although not part of my son's “official” care team, our local pharmacist plays a key role in his cystic fibrosis care.
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.
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.
There are no easy remedies for the perpetual dance that the parents of a chronically ill child do to deal with the painful and enduring isolation. And personally, I found a sense of hopeless defeat.
Cystic fibrosis can't take living away, especially when one loves life!
When my 8-year-old daughter with CF found out that the disease is potentially fatal, I was grateful for her optimistic views on life and death. But deep down, I was saddened with the thought of a cure being so far away that I wouldn't be around to see it. Today, my fears have dwindled.