Mutations & Conversations - a Column by Tré LaRosa

Lung function — typically measured by forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) — is the boogeyman for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Whether it’s our lung function, our weight, our BMI, our liver levels, or our glucose levels, our lives are an assemblage of numbers, values, qualifiers,…

A few weeks ago, an article with the headline, “Vertex sinks on reports of deaths of patients taking cystic fibrosis drug,” circulated online. The medication in question was Symdeko (tezacaftor/ivacaftor). I saw that the article was being shared among my many friends with cystic fibrosis (CF) and within…

I dislike making other people feel uncomfortable. Turning a light-hearted conversation into a heavy one by referring to my sister’s death, or standing up for myself to reduce infection risk, is the social equivalent of getting an IV to me. Part of my journey has been learning to approach my…

Toward the end of my time in college, I faced an identity crisis. For more than seven years, I had been dead set on becoming a physician. I had no question in my mind: I wanted to use my experience of cystic fibrosis (CF) for good by training to…

Every few months, I like to take breaks from social media. Sometimes these breaks are total, self-enforced social media blackouts. I delete the apps on my phone, use another app to block the websites, and even recruit a friend to change the passwords. Social media — like other methods…

This column was my first official writing gig. I started my blog almost three years ago, but my posts were inconsistent and didn’t have a clear voice. “Mutations & Conversations” provided me with a space to write about the many facets of life with cystic fibrosis (CF) without…

Last week, I was invited to speak to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to discuss my personal experiences with cystic fibrosis (CF). Coincidentally, my speech happened to fall on the anniversary week of the beginning of this column — which has been critical to the development of my skills as…

Few phenomena fascinate me more than human happiness. So often we get caught up in the idea that we would be happier if so-and-so happened. I’m sure I won’t be the first to tell you that the grass ain’t always greener on the other side. This idea is known as…

Climate change is an emergency facing humanity. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases, solar heat levels build up in the atmosphere, which acts as an incubator, causing our planet to get hotter. Some populations will be more severely affected by climate change than others…

Doctors receive training in particular specialties and, in some cases, subspecialties. But “specialties” and “subspecialties” can be described as a “broad array of diseases” and “broad array of fewer diseases.” I’m not trying to dismiss the expertise of medical professionals or reduce them to their skill sets. I’d never…