Anxiety is a normal emotion that comes and goes in response to fears or worries about changes in health, work, relationships, or money. A person is said to have an anxiety disorder if the anxiety does not go away, gets worse over time, and prevents a person from participating in daily activities.
Site Search
People with chronic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, are at greater risk for developing clinical depression. When left untreated, depression can interfere with your ability to manage your CF effectively and experience a better quality of life.
As a black man with cystic fibrosis, I am in a minority group within a minority group. I waited my whole life to find someone I could easily relate to until I happened upon a Facebook group for post-transplant patients.
Spending so much of my childhood in and out of the hospital and doing CF treatments was already enough to deal with, so it felt easier to keep my mental health challenges hidden. However, speaking up about my feelings helped me learn that caring for my mental health is as important as taking care of my physical health.
For so long, my identify was defined by beating the odds and achieving a successful career despite having CF. But recently, health complications have forced me to create a new identity focused on self-care. With the help of my support system, I am slowly adapting to this new chapter.
The physical and emotional toll of CF can sometimes make me feel isolated from my peers. But I’ve learned being vulnerable about my struggles can create stronger relationships that make me feel supported and loved.
Being diagnosed with chronic lung rejection was devastating. However, maintaining hope and a positive mindset helped me look forward to the future and smile again.
Living with an illness like advanced lung disease can be incredibly isolating and limiting. But I’ve found a way to connect with others and make my own adventures through online gaming.
Having an atypical presentation of CF means I stand somewhere between the CF world and the rest of the world — and that makes me feel like I belong in neither.