Being a college graduate with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and diabetes truly is one of my proudest accomplishments. I know the opportunity isn’t always a given and despite yearly hospitalizations and a very ugly attendance record, I somehow still managed to graduate within four years.

I loved college. There was a Chipotle across the street from campus. I saw all my best friends on a daily basis and it was perfectly acceptable to wear sweatpants seven days a week! For the most part, college and I got along very well.

A big reason as to why I was successful in college is that I made it work for me the best I could. I scheduled classes in the afternoon so I could sleep in and do a good vest treatment in the morning. I'd load my backpack up with food, inhalers, medication, Kleenex and go about my merry way to school. I even went as far as reserving a study room in the library basement and used it for napping and snacking between classes. My evenings consisted of my part-time job, hanging with friends and doing a vest treatment before bed. For four years I had a great system that worked for me. Unfortunately, I knew this system, much like college, couldn't last forever.

Somewhere along the way I had the tough realization that I wouldn't be able to do it all. I wasn't going to be able to work a traditional 9-5 job, keep up with my hobbies and then, on top of that, manage my CF and diabetes which is a full time job in itself. After some good old soul searching and changing my major a few hundred times, I found my loophole! I needed a career path that would be compatible with Cystic Fibrosis. 

Thankfully, I had never dreamed to be a firefighter so that wasn’t a major concern. Halfway through my college career I decided my hobbies would also become my career and thus became Martha Garvey the Outdoor Recreation Educator!

Looking back I don't know how I didn't realize this path sooner. Freshman year of college I went to Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, Colorado because I wanted to hike, bike and snowboard, yet I was delusional and majoring in Mass Media. It wasn't until I transferred into Minnesota State University - Mankato that I'd find my home in the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Department. Discovering this major was a game changer and one that has opened up many doors for me. I was even lucky enough to intern for an organization in Colorado that focused on teaching reading and writing through outdoor exploration!

In May 2017, a year after I graduated, I moved back home to Saint Paul, Minnesota. I became a Seasonal Outdoor Recreation Educator for a park district within the Twin Cities. I had found my perfect job and one that was CF friendly! I was canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, geocaching, mountain biking, log rolling, fishing and shooting archery! My lungs were loving it! I could cough up God knows what in the woods and it wouldn’t cause a scene. My inhaler, medicine, water and lunch were always on hand in my backpack if I needed anything. I guess somethings about my college lifestyle didn’t change.

I also really lucked out with my coworkers. They made every day so much fun and were very understanding about my health which always makes life easier. There was a day of work when I was canoeing with a coworker and my blood sugar went low. I pulled out a can of root beer, chugged it and we continued on with our canoe lesson. He later on joked that I chugged an actual beer on the job. If my boss is reading this blog, I swear I didn’t!

Confucius says "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Although that is some great Chinese wisdom, I’d be lying if I said every day was a cake walk at work. It’s often hard to find balance with Cystic Fibrosis and work. The outdoor recreation industry is very competitive and you definitely put your blood, sweat and tears into your work. If you ask my friends they’d jokingly tell you I was a camp counselor and played hop scotch for a living. My days consisted of early mornings, 5a.m. wake up call in order to fit in my vest treatments and hour long commute. Once on the job we moved and loaded up vans and trailers with equipment. I found out just how small I really was whenever it was my turn to help load up a dozen kayaks. Then we would drive across town to our park for the day, set up our program, have a team meeting (eat my morning snack) and try our best to put on a quality recreation program for campers, large school groups or the public. Fast forward to the late afternoon and it would be time to clean up and load up equipment to bring it back to home base. We packed in a lot into each day.  Like I said, I love my job but there were definitely days where I was tired or sore. It was a labor of love to say the least but the great days out weighed the bad days for sure.

I ended my seasonal position a few weeks early due to low pulmonary function tests and consistent fevers, all telltale signs of a lung infection and a need to go into the hospital for a PICC line. I’m not going to lie, I was bummed. This CF exacerbation was not at a convenient time, but when is it ever? I don’t have to explain to anyone with a chronic illness the frustration of changing plans or putting everything on hold in order to take care of what needs to be done.

I know it’s a common question for a lot of people with Cystic Fibrosis, What can I do and how long can I do it? Maybe it’s a combination of having Cystic Fibrosis and being an outdoor rec person but I have found my motto to be, “prepare for the worst but expect the best.” You can’t not do something because you might get sick. If that was my mindset back in May, I would’ve missed out on one heck of a summer. This lung infection most likely would’ve happened no matter what, whether I was an accountant at a bank or a preschool teacher. That being said, I’m very thankful that for the last six months I was doing something I loved, something I can’t wait to get back to.

 

 

Martha is currently 24 years old and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at birth. She is an outdoor recreation educator by day and an aspiring stand-up comedian at night. Martha maintains an active lifestyle by snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking and paddling on the beautiful lakes of Minnesota. She is also a former CFLF Recreation Grant Recipient. Follow her adventure on Instagram at @marthagarvey

 

 

 

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***Views expressed in the CFLF Blog are those of the bloggers themselves and not necessarily of the Cystic Fibrosis Lifestyle Foundation*** 

***Please speak with your physician before making any changes to your CF management***

 

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