Having a busy lifestyle makes managing components of CF a struggle at times, which I’m sure everyone with CF feels. One thing my wife and I both pride ourselves on is being active. She trains for triathlons of all distances while I train for marathons. After a long work day and one (and often times two) workouts in a day, the hours tend to be almost gone for the day. Add in routine therapy for CF, and that time gets even smaller. Another thing we pride ourselves on is eating well.

About one year ago I received a grant from the CFLF. I am a lacrosse player but had been having some issues with strength and endurance. I knew with a new season approaching, this grant would really be helpful in getting some private training. There are lots of training classes around, but none that address my unique fitness concerns. 

When I was six years old, my baby sister Lucie was diagnosed with CF. The whole family liked to help Lucie with her treatments to try to keep her happy while Mom was pounding on her chest and sides and back.

The summer after Lucie was born, the three older kids in our family had sweat tests to see if we had CF too. My sweat test was a little higher, so they sent me to have my blood drawn. We waited for three weeks. After the three weeks, I found out that I have CF too. This was the day before I started first grade.

Aging with CF is a beautiful “problem” to have. When I was diagnosed in the 1980’s, I didn’t expect to have this luxury. Yet here I am, 38 years old with the same lungs I was born with. Granted they do not function as they once did or even as they should but they’re mine and I’m thankful for them. It’s my responsibility to care for them to the best of my ability, it’s both a privilege and a huge undertaking.