31 Days of CF: A Grandmother’s Love Is Boundless

Photo courtesy of Amy Hamilton

Day 26 of 31

This is Allison Steeves’ story:

When families grow, the circle of love is expanded and, at the same time, the circle of worry; the two go hand in hand. Spring 2020 began with the exciting announcement that we would be blessed with a grandchild in the fall. The good news amidst all the negative news of the pandemic was just what the doctor ordered!

I was excited and nervous and excited for eight months. For the ninth month, I was mostly just anxious; anxious to meet my granddaughter, and anxious that my daughter came through labor and delivery without any complications. After all, that was my baby having my grandbaby. 

November 28th: our granddaughter Rilyn was born. She was absolutely beautiful and everyone was well. Exhilaration and relief in the same moment. I was in love.

When Rilyn was almost three weeks old, we were informed of her cystic fibrosis diagnosis. We were shocked, and I can honestly say that we reeled for about a week. How could she have CF? There is no CF in our family. What would this mean for our beautiful girl? How would my daughter handle this challenge? How would I? Then I realized that Rilyn couldn’t be Rilyn without CF, and I loved everything about her. She is so much more than CF.

Information is how I process things, so I dove into research to learn what I could about the disease. This showed me that although there will likely be challenges, there is hope and optimism for a great future for Rilyn. Treatments have advanced greatly in the last 10 years and research is ongoing. I am committed to fighting for access to treatments and for a cure.

It wasn’t hard to join team Rilyn. She is the most engaging little person and quickly weaves her way deep into your heart. We wouldn’t change a thing about her and look forward to being involved in her life in a big way!

Cystic Fibrosis News Today’s 31 Days of CF campaign will publish one story per day for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in May. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofCF, or go here to see the full series.