31 Days of CF: Catherine’s Story

by Luisa Palazola | June 13, 2019

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⁣Day 20 of 31 Days of CF ⁣ Topic: Guide to University ⁣ ⁣ The lovely @catheriine98 is currently studying to be a school teacher. Here are a few things she’s learned from her uni experience:⁣ ⁣ CF Clinics⁣ Before I left for uni, I met with the CF team at the nearest hospital, so that I could get to know their faces and work out a shared care plan. This means I can visit both my university and my home CF team, so I always have CF care nearby. I don’t know how I would be coping without the help of my lovely team at uni!⁣ ⁣ Treatments Away from Home⁣ Moving away from home for the first time with the burden of medications was quite daunting. I was now suddenly in charge of all my hospital visits, prescriptions and adhering to my treatments (although I had mum on the phone regularly to check this at first!). It’s so easy to get caught up in university life and forget treatments, but I had to find a treatment regime that worked for my new lifestyle so I could stay well enough to complete my degree.⁣ ⁣ Sports Clubs⁣ As we know, exercise can provide amazing physio to the lungs of those with CF. Universities provide a wide range of sports clubs, so I immersed myself in trying out some of these, from trampolining and competitive cheerleading, to kayaking, climbing and skydiving!⁣ ⁣ Studying⁣ I have been fortunate to have a really supportive tutor at uni, who has helped make adjustments for my condition. I have teaching placements as part of my degree, so he has ensured that I’m not placed further than a 50 minute commute away from university, so I’m still near the hospital and have time to get my treatments done each day.⁣ ⁣ Accommodation⁣ Living in halls with a group of new people was great fun! I chose to explain my CF to them fairly early on, so that they wouldn’t question my constant cough, pills, washing nebs. They took it well and it definitely made my life easier, although it is always a very personal decision whether or not to tell others about CF. After first year, I moved in with a small group of friends who knew about my CF.⁣ If you’d like to have a chat about uni and CF, feel free to DM me ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ *CFNT would also recommend registering with disability!

A post shared by CFNewsToday (@cfnewstoday) on May 20, 2019 at 9:32am PDT

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About the Author

Luisa Palazola Luisa Palazola is a 25-year-old with CF living in Memphis, Tennessee. She injects her perspective as a Hispanic woman and her love for life and stories in all her interactions. In her downtime, she's learning Portuguese and is an avid coffee lover.