31 Days of CF: My Faith Guides Me

Photo courtesy of Emilee Pehrson

Day 5 of 31

This is Emilee Pehrson’s story:

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Maybe it’s weird to start off with a Bible verse, but this piece of scripture speaks to my soul. It’s the heart of who I am and leads me daily as I embark on this journey with cystic fibrosis. It’s what gives me the faith to hold on during my scariest and most unpredictable moments. 

I guess I should say “He,” not what. My faith in Christ leads me every day and pushes me beyond any capacity of life that is my own. 

My faith in Him brought both of my children to me and helped forge miracles I never knew were possible in my life. It helped me fight to gain my life back when it was nearly lost during my pregnancy with my daughter. It helped me know that I would have a son, even though I wouldn’t be giving birth to him, and would watch as my beautiful sister-in-law gave me the greatest gift imaginable through surrogacy. 

It gave me the strength to fight again for my life after being diagnosed with influenza A, when I felt I wouldn’t come back from it. It pushed me to know that waiting for Trikafta to be approved was the right decision for me when all roads pointed to “It’s time to transplant.” And it led me through one of the hardest years of being stuck at home and making choices that affected everyone in my life. 

My faith in Christ has led me to today and brought me through pain and heartache I didn’t know I could conquer, only to find joy that I didn’t know was possible.

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.