Emelie’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Cystic Fibrosis)

Nov
17
2012
Emelie's Story (Cystic Fibrosis) LR

My name is Emelie, I’m 19 years old, and my battle with Cystic Fibrosis has not been an easy one. Throughout my entire life I’ve always struggled with upper respiratory complications. From the age of nine, I started coming down with bad cases of pneumonia and bronchitis at least once a year. My pediatrician at the time diagnosed me with asthma and severe allergies in fifth grade. She told me that because I had gotten so many upper respiratory infections that it had caused me to get asthma. Since middle school I carried around an inhaler, coughed up mucus 24/7, came down with an infection of some sort every year, and had general breathing problems all year round. Things took a drastic turn in my sophomore year of high school. I had dropped twenty pounds without trying, started to have weird stomach pains, and my breathing problems got out of control. On Easter of 2011, I woke up and could barley stand up, let alone breathe. My family rushed me to the ER where they gave me … [Read more...]

Weatherly’s Story (Cystic Fibrosis)

Aug
15
2010
Weatherly-E-139x179

I have Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Over 70% of people with CF are diagnosed by the age of two. I was not one of the 70%, even though, I've had symptoms all of my life. I was diagnosed with CF when I was 20 years old and had about 73% lung capacity. My daily routine consists of 1-2 hours of medicine/therapy first thing in the morning with other medicine/therapy a couple of times throughout the day to keep me healthy. Now, I fight to stay above 40% lung capacity and I am now in the process of trying to decided if I'm willing to have a lung transplant, not what every 33 year old wants to think about. I've been hospitalized up to 5 times in a year. I'm sent home with a PICC Line on IV antibiotics, which I've been on for up to 2 months at a time. I am very proud to have CF, not glad, but proud. I take very good care of myself, even though I know that I cannot physically do what other people can. I live with CF, but I don't let it control my life. I have a great inspiration in my … [Read more...]