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Hospital stays are hardly a party. But since they're a part of life with CF, let's get the most out of them and help ourselves make them fewer and farther between.

A few years ago, CF started to take its toll on me. I kept getting sick, going on and off IVs, going in and out of the hospital. But through it all, I found a silver lining.

When I was young, my parents tried to increase the appeal of hospital stays by calling them “sleepovers.” But as I got older, I realized that these two things are, in fact, not the same.

The only thing that is certain in my life is the uncertainty of my teenage daughter's next hospital stay. Despite this, she has somehow managed to supervise her own academic life from a hospital room. 

There is no greater instinct than a mother's need to protect, and I have had to willfully disregard it countless times in my journey with CF.

As a hospital administrator, I try to apply what I've learned from receiving care as a person with CF to provide better health care for my patients.

When my four children were young, it was important for my husband and me to protect their sense of security. We did what we could to reduce their fears about my frequent hospital visits and even make it fun for them at times. 

I’ve learned over the years to speak up and ask questions when it comes to my cystic fibrosis care.

Calling an inpatient stay “ideal” may sound like an oxymoron, but having the things I need to be in better health by the time I head home from a hospital stay is important.

Stress, lack of sleep, and constant interruptions make spending time in the hospital physically and emotionally exhausting. But for me, it's just as difficult to come home from a hospital stay and get back to “real life.”