Cystic fibrosis forced me to drop out of high school. After earning my GED, I'm in college and more determined -- than ever -- to finish.
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Although we may have had nine months to prepare, getting our daughter's cystic fibrosis diagnosis before she was born came with a unique set of challenges.
When there is more than one person with CF in your school, it is essential that they be kept a minimum of 6 feet (2 meters) apart from each other. Germs can spread as far as 6 feet through droplets released in the air when people cough or sneeze.
Every person has two copies of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. A person must inherit two copies of the CFTR gene that contain mutations — one copy from each parent — to have cystic fibrosis.
With a late diagnosis, I had every reason to feel hopeless and alone, but getting involved and connecting to others truly gives me hope for my future.
When my daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a newborn, I was shattered. But then, I decided I would raise her to know that CF was something she had, not who she was.
Our dream for our daughter, Eden, is the same one that parents have for their kids who don't have cystic fibrosis. We want her to be happy and realize her true potential.
Having lived with cystic fibrosis for 47 years, I want to pay it forward and share the life lessons I've learned with new parents of children with CF.
As a frequent public speaker, I was surprisingly nervous the day before I spoke to my kids' classmates about the realities of cystic fibrosis several years ago. Luckily, my kids knew just what to say to calm my nerves.
About a year and a half ago, I started preparing for three students with cystic fibrosis at the school where I work as a school nurse. Here's an update on how things have been going.