31 Days of CF: Thanks to Trikafta, the Blinders in My Life Have Come Off

Photo courtesy of Maggie Ronayne

Day 23 of 31

This is Maggie Ronayne’s story: 

Hi, my name is Maggie! I’m 26 years old and from Southeast Michigan.

I always like to take the month of May, which is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, to reflect. Having an invisible illness like cystic fibrosis (CF) is a crazy thing, because one day you’re having a great time with friends, and the next you could be in the ICU fighting for your life. At least that was the case for me. The drastic changes caused by CF can definitely affect you mentally.

Then along came the treatment Trikafta (elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor). For me, it was truly a game changer. Those drastic moments still occurred, but this time it was the opposite — they were positive events!

Those hospital stays and flare-ups quickly dwindled. I was able to graduate college, move out of my parents’ house, and start a full-time job. I’ve always questioned how I would do this with CF, so to be able to say that I actually did it is mind-blowing.

When you’re given limited options in life due to your chronic illness, you develop tunnel vision. But now, for me, the blinders have come off.

I also want to say that I recognize that Trikafta might not have been successful for some, and some patients may have a rare CF mutation. Please know that I will never stop advocating for you all. You also deserve to have a CF modulator that works, too.

When we say, “We are looking forward to the day when a CF cure has been found,” we aren’t just talking about those who have the most common CFTR gene mutation—we’re talking about all CFers.

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 read the full series.