Need perspective

[welshwitch]

Nothing to add here, just that it's a VERY personal decision to have kids, or not have kids. Added with the CF possibility in the mix--even more complicated! Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice.

Also, I'm 32 with CF and my life has been awesome!

 

[Lena Bean]

I am 21 and have CF. If when it's time for me to have children my significant other and I will adopt if they are a carrier. I couldn't bare the possibility of putting the burden of this disease onto another person. Yes, some of us are lucky and very healthy but some of us are not. If I were to have a child with CF, I'd be heart broken, and have to put them up for adoption, because I would not want to infect them with anything and trade things back and forth, unless I knew early enough for abortion, then I'd have to do that.

To be quite honest, CF has molded me into the person I am today, but I'm not always proud of who that person is. I'm apathetic, hopeless, and depressed a large portion of the time. Up until two years ago, I could barely communicate with other people in person because of how the other kids ridiculed me based on my disease as a child. You have to take the emotional and psychological ramifications into consideration as well as the physical.

I'm sorry for being so blunt about this, but I feel very strongly on the matter.

 

[tarheel]

I am 21 and have CF. If when it's time for me to have children my significant other and I will adopt if they are a carrier. I couldn't bare the possibility of putting the burden of this disease onto another person. Yes, some of us are lucky and very healthy but some of us are not. If I were to have a child with CF, I'd be heart broken, and have to put them up for adoption, because I would not want to infect them with anything and trade things back and forth, unless I knew early enough for abortion, then I'd have to do that.

To be quite honest, CF has molded me into the person I am today, but I'm not always proud of who that person is. I'm apathetic, hopeless, and depressed a large portion of the time. Up until two years ago, I could barely communicate with other people in person because of how the other kids ridiculed me based on my disease as a child. You have to take the emotional and psychological ramifications into consideration as well as the physical.

I'm sorry for being so blunt about this, but I feel very strongly on the matter.

I second this. Then again, I also believe in selective eugenics- a HIGHLY unpopular belief. Why? Yes, CF has made me a "stronger" person and "I wouldn't be who I was without it" and all that ....stuff. But actually, I'll be the first to admit that for years when I was really depressed (highschool- go figure.) I did resent my parents- given their careers I really thought they should have "known" better.

I'll just add-
Relationships.
There is NO FEELING worse than being dumped because of your genetics. We can all pretend it doesn't happen, but as for me I'm not dating anyone for a very long time; 3 guys that couldn't deal with CF was a little much. I mean, I want to go home and cry to mom because he cheated on me like the normal people do. Not because I'm stuck with this disease and he wasn't man enough to handle it.