Hi everyone, my name is Rob. Im 23 w/cf, living in England, and this is the first time I have ever even looked on a cf website! Im really not sure why I have never looked before, but perhaps I didnt realise the full potential of this type of community support.To tell the truth I am lucky to be in very good health. I was diagnosed with cf at 8 months and have never really 'suffered' from it. I feel I am extremely furtunate. Before moving from the US to UK in 1993, I spent 12 days in hospital to get me up to 'peak' condition so the doctors could have a clear measurement to maintain my health at. Apart from then, I have never been hospitalised. But alas, I can empathise with most of what everyone has said in their messages here. I too sometimes feel torn between either hiding or expressing my illness to others, particularly those who are ignorant to it. Some people have never even heard of it!! Because I have been lucky enough to live my life without many distractions caused by cf, those close to me do not feel the severity of the illness. I make it clear how lucky I am... and sometimes they get sick to death of my positiveness!!!!I agree with all of you, in that having cf, certainly in my case, has been a blessing in disguise. And I really mean that! I look at my friends, my peers, the guys and girls who I have grown up with and who I have always inevitably compared myself to... and I see one huge difference. We are all able to have fun, party, play sports and pretty much do whatever we want in our lives (within reason of course ;-), but for me there has always been this fire inside that has propelled me to better myself and to inspire others around me. I see having cf not as a weakness or something debilitating in any respect, but rather as a fuel for my desire to get the most out of life. Because of my cf, I am more determined than anyone else I know. Not just to achieve longevity, but in outside achievements as well.I am currently doing a PhD, already have 2 degrees, been travelling to many places, played basketball for my respective universities for 3 years and have been blessed with many close friends (i.e. lots of partying!!). I sometimes ask myself if I would have all this without my cf? Would I be so determined to live life to the fullest, had a limitation not been put on my life (i.e. lower life expectancy)? Would I not have been so determined to maintain my health, had it not suffered like it has. My friends joke around with me and call me skinny... but then I show them my six-pack (and my huge appetite) and they are baffelled. I reckon its because of all the coughing!! You tense your stomach muscles for that long and its like a gym work-out!!My friends are a great bunch of people. I have made a real effort in the last few years to inform them of my cf... even though I could go on hiding it. At the moment (and hopefully for as long as I can blagg it!!), I am not doing any chest physio, iv's or inhalers or anything. I take medication with food, but really my sypmtoms are less severe than average. I am so thankful for that... and at no point do I ever feel annoyed or angry about my cf. At the end of the day, there is always something to look forward to, and something to be thankful for. I am privileged to be a healthy cf patient and I have only recently realised the potential of what I can do for the whole cf community. I feel inspired by everyone's words here and I want nothing more than to inspire others (those with cf, parents, doctors etc.).I would love to hear back from anyone... I am new to this forum but it is the best I have seen. I have never known anyone with cf, no cf friends or relatives with cf. In some ways I feel 'out of the loop'!!Love to you all,Rob
This is a response which I had to make easier to find.
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