hi,I am the mom of a little girl who has CF. She was diagnosed at 9 & 1/2 months. Our first 2 years were hard but I wouldn't trade them for anything. The last nearly 3 years have been great. It takes a bit of maintenence for her to stay well but that is really not that big of a deal. I cannot imagine my life without my daughter. I can't give you any real reason why this child should be aborted. My daughter has been through a lot but she truely enjoys her life.Andrea
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Mutations
- Thread starter serendipity730
- Start date
In reply to the abortion question,Let me just say that my beautiful daughter who will turn 16 in one week (with cf), has been a blessing from the day she was born. My only regret was not knowing what was making her ill until she was 41/2 years old. In your sisters case it will be better for everyone because she can get the proper medical attention. No one really knows how much time they have on this earth. I thank God every day for my loving child.sincerely,anonomous
WOW, I guess my reaction is similar to everyone else's. It is ironic though, because just the other day as I was leaving a particularly HARROWING and IRRITATING appointment at the hospital (the usual i am sure you all know, endless waiting, no conclusions on anything, and of course, wonderful pft's) ANYWAY i was thinking about how I hated cf, how i would just love to see what it would be like to never have it, to have never had it in high school when i could have smoked pot and cigarettes and still play lacrosse the next day, to have never had it all those times i missed so much school, and then i thought "wow, i really and truly wouldn't be me." My family would be different, my parents probably wouldnt have the kind of appreciation they have for thier/our lives, I just wouldn't be me. I consider myself a self-confident, emotionally aware and happy person who, for someone who is 20 years old, has the ability to put almost anything in perspective and enjoy my life no matter what happens (although the cf related incidents still of course, take the cake as being often hard to perspect-ify). I dont mean to sound concieted but my point it that the things i am proud of most in my character are the qualities that are there mostly in part because of CF and what i have had to struggle to understand. I thought, while i was driving out of the hospital, that in a twisted way those of us who this particular kind of problem in our lives: illness, are in a way blessed. It is a kind of pain and difficulty unlike any other kind of pain that can be external, and you cannot really ever understand it unless you have it. I have peace in my head and heart about what is important in life, and some people can never say that thier whole lives. Does that answer your question?
What else is there to say? The last "anonymous'" post was so well-put and eloquent; it described my feelings perfectly. Living with CF is a contradiction: it's painful, scary, and at times depressing . . . but it's also enlightening, extraordinary, and unique. The thing I've had the most trouble with is being able to still be angry with CF (it <i> does </i> suck much of the time) while acknowledging that all the things I like about myself come from it. I'm introspective, emotionally-aware, mature, all that . . . and for a really long time I refused to admit that there was anything more to cf than these good attributes. But there are some things I hate so much and am so angry about, and I am finally learning to live with those feelings while still being "thankful" for having cf, and knowing that I wouldn't want to be different than I am. I consider myself lucky.I'm taking biology in school, and every time the teacher does an example where a fetus winds up with a recessive disease, she says, "OK, now you have a choice. You can do a therapeutic abortion or you can have the baby." You can see me start to seethe when she says such things. She doesn't know I have CF and I'm reluctant to tell her (in high school bio, the teacher knew and bypassed the whole subject because she thought I couldn't handle it). And so time and time again I listen to these teacher basically say that I shouldn't exist. I sit there in her class, a nineteen year old college student with a life I love, and I think, "Is my life really worth anything less than a "normal" person's?" Of course not. My teacher may not know that, but I do.
Scarlett,I know that hearing that must be hard. You might want to point out to the teacher that the manner in witch she is mentioning that option might be insensitive to poeple in her class that DO have genetic illnesses. Remind her that not all of them are visible and ask her to reconsider her phrasing. By doing this you might be helping another student in your class or another class of the same teacher. There could be students with hemophilia or sickle cell anemia or others with CF who are being offended every time she opens her mouth about this subject. She probably doesn't realize that what she is saying could be upseting her students. There is no real reason that you have to tell her that you have CF at all but bringing this to her attention might make her more aware of how she is addressing the issue. It can't hurt anyway! Or you could send an annonymous letter to the head of the department requesting that the whole dept be made aware of the sensitivity of the issue. Just a few thoughts.Andrea
i have a three year old living with cf and two older children that are healthy.i can not believe you would even consider having an abortion.my daughter has been doing very well so far.i wouldnt give her up.there is never a perfect child.cf has come along way since they have discovered the disease and we are getting close to a cure.your baby could out live this disease.God has brought this child into your life for a reason just as he has unto my family.there is always a purpose for everything.you may not see it right away but eventually you will.i see no reason to abort this precious gift from God.please let me know the outcome and if you need someone to talk with i will gladly be there for you.may God bless you my e-mail cchrissy72@aol.com