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.
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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 my mom used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told her that I wanted to be a dad. The journey to fatherhood with cystic fibrosis is full of obstacles, but I would give anything to pass on the traits I've gained from living with this disease to a child of my own.
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.
Although my lung transplant was the end of one story, it was also the beginning of another, more difficult story.
I recently attended the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Lung Transplantation Summit. Many of the areas for improvement cited by the experts matched what I have seen as the mother of a two-time double-lung transplant recipient.
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.
When my two boys with cystic fibrosis ask me about death, I don't see it as something to be feared or ignored. Rather, I view it as an opportunity to share information about CF and the truths of life in an appropriate and honest way.