Thank You

[anonymous]

Thank You God for:

1. Thank you because I have cystic fibrosis.
2. Thank you because Im about to die.
3. Thank you for the long time im spending in suffering before i rest my soul.
4. Thank you for the wonderful times which i never had in the past.
5. Thank you because I really feel how is it prescious to breathe freely.
6. Thank you for the microorganism Burkoholderia Cepacia.
7. Thank you for these very effective antibiotics.
8. Thank you for my very stupid parents.
9 Thank you for treating me so special and letting me bear with all this stuff.
10 Thank you for Heaven which I may never see.
11. Thank you bec im living in regret.
12. Thank you for hell ( hope i like it lol).
13 Thank you bec i can no more run, dance, hang out, swim , or even have sex.
14. Thank you for this nasty cough that makes me chill.
15. Thank you for everything I didnt mention bec its an endless list.

Thank you pals if ur replies were rude.

23 w/cf, cfrd, pseudomonas, cepacia

 

[WinAce]

In all honesty, blaming cosmic figures people invented when they didn't know better won't help. The universe doesn't conspire against us; crap just happens. Even the Bible acknowledges as much when it notes that "it rains on the just and unjust alike." Sucks though, don't it?

So, I'll just leave you with my utmost sympathies--not that they change anything--and these immortal words from Max Payne II (3:4) -- <i>"Well that was fun, in a &$#@ing terrible, sick, not-at-all-fun way."</i>

 

[anonymous]

I can't sign it for some reason.. but I wanted to say, I think anyone who believes in God has felt that way in their life at point or another.. I am sorry that you are so sad, and angry You have good reason to feel these feelings.. I understand your feelings and I think it is good to share what you are feeling because many ppl may feel that way but few are brave enough to share their true feelings...

You will be in my thoughts,

Jennifer 32 with CF

 

[anonymous]

WinAce-
Don't want to start a religous discussion yet again. But saying "cosmic figures people invented when they didn't know better" is just really uncalled for. Some people on this site are extremely religious and look to God for guidance and faith to help them get through this illness. No matter what you think just leave your personal thoughts out of it. There was a better way to reply without shooting down the thoughts of some people on this site.
Margaret
double lung 11-11-04
And yes...God helped me through my transplant and made sure that it happened for me so that I can have many more years on this planet.

 

[Mockingbird]

Are you trying to start another fight on here? Sigh. Look, it sucks that you're sick, but if you keep thinking like that it's only going to suck more. If you really don't have that much time left, then do something... get a puppy, make a friend, watch a sunset, grow a flower... hell, I don't know, there are good things in this world, so find them. Exactly what is it you have to lose? Your self-pity? You're better off without it.

Cystic Fibrosis isn't the reason you're unhappy. Neither is God. God gave you a life, then he left the rest up to you.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I am trying to slap you in the face. If you're as sick as you say you are, then you need a wake-up call, and quick. And don't try to tell me you're acepting your death in some kind of noble gesture, because if you are living in regret and honestly can't find one good thing to look back on, then you'd never have accepted life in the first place; you wouldn't have anything to let go of.

 

[anonymous]

Mockingbird,
Just have to say, I love your posts. Great attitude, I totally agree!

 

[IG]

Haha, WinAce that response made me laugh.

Whenever I get into a mood like that, I somehow am reminded that crap just happens. ^_^
Oh and the quote... lol.
I know some might look at that as morbid or not funny by.. haha, that's exactly something I would say.
I think a sense of humor [however warped mine might be] gets us through the tough times, and being able to laugh at oneself makes life a little less serious.

Oh and Margaret, not to admonish you or anything, but if you have a problem with WinAce's beliefs just read over them. ::shrugs:: just mentioning something about it creates and argument in itself. Though I do have to say congrats on your Tx and whatever form or function that allowed you to get through it.

 

[anonymous]

I don't know who Max Payne is, nor do I care, but some *%$ discretion could have been used when quoting him. Remember folks of ALL ages use this board and with a title of 'Thank You', they probably think it is safe to read this particular thread.

 

[reillybug]

Well said, Mockingbird...I think that covers it!

 

[WinAce]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>WinAce-

Don't want to start a religous discussion yet again. But saying "cosmic figures people invented when they didn't know better" is just really uncalled for. <hr></blockquote>

I don't see why not. Were I a theist, I'd have no choice but to conclude God does, in fact, arbitrarily hate certain people's guts. Pointing out that it's not true, and the universe is <i>not</i> out to get you, helps a lot on those days when you begin to wonder. It makes sense <i>not</i> to blame God on that basis. (Would you rather he <i>did</i> blame God?)

I certainly have no intention of "leaving my personal thoughts out of it" when they're intellectually defensible, honest and well-reasoned, just because some might have a knee-jerk reaction towards them. I have no doubt you'd reject this reasoning if it was used <i>against</i> expressions of faith, so why should it apply for supportive expressions of disbelief?

Since you brought it up, your notion that God makes people's transplants happen would simultaneously imply he plays favorites, being a capricious prick to those who <i>don't</i> make it, and their families. On what basis would you argue you're more deserving of a transplant than, say, any other random kid who had all her hopes set on it, then died after a particularly horrifying and painful bout of illness? Why would God help people get a transplant, only to die weeks after the operation from an acute rejection episode, when someone else could have benefited from those lungs--which are in limited supply--and lived for years on end?

And please don't toss out that "mysterious inscrutable reasons" nonsense, it's the intellectual equivalent of the epicycles used to salvage geocentricism from clearly falsifying evidence.

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Mockingbird</b></i><br>If you really don't have that much time left, then do something... get a puppy, make a friend, watch a sunset, grow a flower...<hr></blockquote>

Good advice. Also, perhaps his situation isn't as entirely hopeless as he thinks, but clinical depression might be complicating his ability to see it. In that case, more medications would perhaps help... On the other hand, some people really <i>don't</i> have much to live for, and have legitimate reasons to regret their existence. Those living in chronic, agonizing pain that not only incapacitates them, but doesn't leave a moment of respite for even considering things like puppies and flowers, to name an extreme example. I wouldn't be so quick to label the original poster a life-hater, given that he's afflicted with a nasty illness that, even alone (ignoring the other issues he mentioned), <i>does</i> sometimes ruin every last vestige of potential appreciation for those finer things.

 

[WinAce]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>I don't know who Max Payne is, nor do I care, but some *%$ discretion could have been used when quoting him. Remember folks of ALL ages use this board and with a title of 'Thank You', they probably think it is safe to read this particular thread.<hr></blockquote>

Hmm. I honestly didn't think of that. While I don't really see the point (it's the intent behind words, not specific words themselves, that can harm), I'll edit that into a series of random characters, and you can imagine it stands for something more innocuous, like Ned Flanders might cuss with. Deal? <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[WinAce]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>ImmortalGoddezz</b></i><br>Haha, WinAce that response made me laugh.... I know some might look at that as morbid or not funny by.. haha, that's exactly something I would say.<hr></blockquote>

Indeed, and it's one of my favorite quotes from Max Payne for that very reason! Too bad Vinnie Gognito got wacked, he was one of the more endearing characters (and that says a lot, for a mob game).

 

[blindhearted]

To the original person who posted. Your not the only person here with problems and granted everyone has their way of expressing that but if your gonna write something like that at least have the guts to sign in. And I thank God that I'm not an angry and sad person like you are.

 

[roblake29]

Great responses guys...

Rob 24 wcf

 

[anonymous]

Im the original poster again. To mockingbird I'm not angry at you or anything, but everyone has his own view of happiness. If for you, getting a puppy would make you happy then this is great. However, frankly saying it means nothing to me whether I get a puppy, a flower, or watch the sunset. I hope you live long and dont witness a time when your friends dump you just because you cant keep up with them, when your partner walks away because she cant handle cystic fibrosis, when there is nothing to fight for or no one to live for. I admit that I made a mess of my life when I was "healthy" and didnt acheive things I would have admired by now. So all I'm left with now is regret, and dont tell me to make up because I wish I could. I wish I can have the chance and enjoy a beautiful sunset without an O2 machine and coughing episodes. Its a pity its all gone and I can do nothing, but dont expect me at anytime to blame myself because I dont control my fate. Get my pfts for 50% or something and see what will I make out of my life. I dont hate life on the contrary, I see it as very beautiful but not for all people. Man is predestined because God chose it this way. Im not saying that everyone with cystic fibrosis shall lead a miserable life, but not everyone with it can have the most out of life. CF shaped the character of many and made some people understand life better, but for me cystic fibrosis would remain a disease which stole my life, denied me many moments, broke my dreams, and left me with no acheivements. So when I meet God I have one word for him " Why?".

 

[roblake29]

You wrote:

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr>Its a pity its all gone and I can do nothing, but dont expect me at anytime to blame myself because I dont control my fate.<hr></blockquote>

Im sorry, but that is bulls**t!!
I really have no time for negative people. You are negative, not because of the cards you have been dealt, but because of the way you have reacted to them. You are no worse off than half the people on here... but you choose to make a meal of it. You said that your friends dumped you because 'you couldnt keep up with them'. Maybe they dumped you because you were so negative (who wants to be with someone like that?!). Or maybe your friends were not actually friends at all, and weren't nice people in the first place. Either way, these are things that you can control. You choose your friends, and you choose to take everything negative that happens to you as 'fate' or 'destiny'.

You said: <blockquote>Quote<br><hr>Man is predestined because God chose it this way.<hr></blockquote>

I don't like the fact that you use religion and God as a mask or a blame for your own unwillingness to take responsibility for your future. Having faith in God is a wonderful thing for many people, but not when you have no faith in yourself.
Fortune favours the brave my friend.

You said: <blockquote>Quote<br><hr>Im not saying that everyone with cystic fibrosis shall lead a miserable life, but not everyone with it can have the most out of life.[Q/]

I disagree with this entirely. There are things in this world that could destroy someone's soul... we're talking physical, mental, sexual abuse, things like that. But I don't think there is anything that CF throws at us that will necessarily destroy someone's soul. It is debilitating on the body, but not necessarily our mind, our soul or our spirit.
People who I have met on this forum are some of the most determined, ambitious and resilient people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. It is why I continue to actively engage here with these fine people. So if they can be so awesome, why can't you?

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr>So when I meet God I have one word for him " Why?".[Q/]

If you were to ask God 'why', he'd probably say something like: 'Because you took no responsibility for your negativity. You looked for someone to blame (me), instead of accepting the fact that you control your own destiny. You are the reason you are unhappy'

There's my ten cents worth...

Rob 24 wcf

 

[WinAce]

Not necessarily BS at all. Some people can confront issues that would completely destroy others, just as Lance Armstrong can win a Tour de France that others couldn't even finish halfway. While it's certainly <i>possible</i> that our anonymous poster could be underestimating his abilities to cope, it's not at all guaranteed. Saying <i>"it's something you can control"</i> as if it was an established fact is excessively patronizing, and IMO completely unhelpful.

The people you've met here are unusually resilient because there's a selection effect at work--those that weren't are either dead, or too depressed to bother. That's the same fallacy made by those who say <i>"Life never tosses at you more than you can handle,"</i> conveniently forgetting that there are, indeed, people who couldn't handle their situation--and committed suicide as a result.

That illness is directly responsible for some people's inability to enjoy life, where they <i>would</i> if they didn't have it, is as close to an irrefutable fact as can be envisioned. You have transplant patients who lived for nothing but the hope of an improvement, and recovered after their health improved, again capable of enjoying life to the fullest; a statistical correlation between illness and depression; and so on.
So please don't pretend that it's solely what you make out of life--in very large part, it's what you get in the first place, too. Outlook can exacerbate a bad situation, but it isn't necessarily a cure-all for a crappy one, and there are some situations <i>so</i> crappy that no amount of looking on the bright side will help. Whether Anonymous Poster has one of those, only he can know for sure (and it will depend on internal as well as external factors, as I said; some people can cope with levels of stress that would induce another to kill themselves three times over).

 

[roblake29]

Thanks for the reply WinAce. You always write insightfully, and I accept your critique of my response.

Im sorry if you think I was being unhelpful, but from my experience with people/friends who suffer from depression, a good slap on the face with reality can help. Some people just don't realise that they have control of their lives (they need it put into perspective), and they make as many excuses as possible for why their life is so crappy. Im not being patronising. Im just pointing out the obvious things, that strangely many people with depression overlook.

I also don't like reducing depression to an uncontrollable condition, relieved only with prescribed medication (as ridiculous as labeling every naughty kid with having ADD). I have myself suffered from mild depression at times during my life, and have dug myself out of the holes, never to return. I did this by myself, by adopting a more positive outlook and focusing on different aspects of my life, those that I could control and could take positives from. I focused on the little things and the big things sorted themselves out. I feel I have experience and can therefore offer help. But the person needs the will-power to help themselves. That is the crux of my message.

A positive outlook wont cure CF, of course, but it can take the focus of your life off of it. You will notice the most positive and enjoyable people on this sight are the ones who dont complain, who dont ALWAYS focus on the negative, the CF, the symptoms, problems, restrictions of the disease. They control what they can and live their lives. And of course there are those that can't handle it... which is precisely the people we are here to help.

Rob 24 wcf

 

[anonymous]

Rob, I love your saying at the bottom of your posts and wanted to let you know that you are doing exactly that.

It is great to hear from those who are able to make lemonaide!

 

[anonymous]

Margaret,

I having thinking about your post and I would like to ask you a question. Please keep in mind I am not arguing your beliefs- i would just like some insight to your thinking. Why did God choose you ( and others) to have a successful transplant therefore leading to many more years on this planet, while my sister died (age 24) while on the transplant list. Sue was a wonderful person, she attended church every Sunday, she was a wife, has a 3 year old daughter and worked full- time. I guess I am wondering why she didn't deserve many more years of life.

Kasey