31 Days Of CF: My Sister’s Journey Inspired Me to Become an Advocate

Shannah Weller (Photo courtesy of Shannah Weller)

Day 27 of 31

This is Shannah Weller’s (@shannahweller) story:

On Jan. 20, 2019, my sister Jana left this world behind and gained an eternal one. She fought hard for her health and quality of life, and inspired many, both healthy and those facing their own health challenges, to do the same.

Eight years senior to me, she imparted so much wisdom to me and my siblings, and that wisdom lives on in us. Jan was known to be wise beyond her years, and she often attributed her in-depth understanding of life to living with her disease, and not allowing it to control her.

After her passing, I decided to become an advocate for cystic fibrosis, as a mechanism to not only process my grief in a healthy way, but to spread my sister’s message of serving others. My involvement with the CF Foundation has been vital in sharing her message and creating awareness. We (her siblings) continue to carry out her mission to be kind, courageous, and encouraging to others, no matter the circumstances.

I have so many fond memories of my sister, but one that stands out is walking down a market street and trying on sun hats with her from a local boutique! She was always so full of joy and confidence!

Jan would be proud of us, and she’d tell you to value “quality over quantity of life,” and to “always live life to its fullest.” She proved that no matter what, life always has value.

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.