31 Days of CF: My Challenges Have Helped Me to Be a Better Mother

Katie Lockwood and her 8-week-old daughter, Magnolia. (Courtesy of Katie Lockwood)

Day 21 of 31

This is Katie Lockwood’s (@chronicallyillfinanciallyfit) story:

Growing up with cystic fibrosis, I still had a lot to be grateful for. I grew up surrounded by love. Family and friends encircled me with their support for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I was raised to be resilient and to have empathy for others.

Having said that, life was challenging too. Treatments and my medicine regimen were a constant push and pull for my family, while living with an unkind disease made me afraid of the unknown. And seeing many of my CF peers die while I thrived was difficult for me to understand and process.

They say different children need different things. My brother is different than me. More active, certainly. Easier to get along with, and lighter. My personality is stronger, more serious.

Now that I have had the privilege of becoming a mother to Rose and Magnolia I have come to appreciate these differences. Rose, my first little one, was born with her own challenges and will need, like me, to master a certain skill set. One where her determination will earn her success, organizational skills to navigate the health care and insurance systems, and a strong voice to advocate for her needs.

I like who I am. It has served me well, and also the others in my life, and I look forward to seeing how my girls’ personalities will develop, from the influences of nature, nurture, and necessity.

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.