Grief doesn’t respect timing or social etiquette. It typically hits me at the worst times, when it’s inconvenient to have sweat trickling from my eyes. As I reflect on the complex changes that happened during my serious sick days before my double-lung transplant, and now five years later,…
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The musical “Bonnie & Clyde” follows the infamous early 20th century crime duo through a series of murders and robberies, beginning with an innocent dream on Bonnie’s part. The two embarked on a romantic road trip that pitted them against society and those they loved. Clyde’s murder spree…
When I try to understand the complexities of cystic fibrosis (CF), it often feels like trying to get through Newark Liberty International Airport: What am I doing, how did I get here, and which way to the bathroom? Like the thick mucus in a CF patient’s lungs, people in…
“A bat!” my mom announces to my dad and me. I look up at where she’s pointing to see, yes, a winged mammal swooping and diving and cutting back with deadly precision. I’m glad that something is eating the determined mosquitoes I’m fending off with two citronella candles and what…
Nonsense can be defined as “an instance of absurd action.” That’s kind of how doctors described my cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations. It was as if my mom hit the New York Lottery and my dad hit the New Jersey Lottery on the same day at the same time. My…
As I prepare to celebrate five years with my new lungs, I’m experiencing a wide range of emotions. My double-lung transplant has allowed me to do so many things I never dreamed I’d be able to do, which brings excitement, gratitude, and hope for the future. My five-year…
My journey with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been somewhat traumatic. My diagnosis was drawn out, leading to lung scarring at an early age. My two nonsense mutations limited my pipeline of treatments, and my quick decline in lung function left me with many Sophie’s choices. Most traumatic, my…
It’s 2012 and I’m in my second year of community college. My hair is down to my shoulders and I carry a bottle of hand sanitizer attached to my backpack, which gets used by more people in my classes than I anticipated, but I’m happy to share. After all, fewer…
When I started evaluation for my double-lung transplant in spring 2015, I didn’t have any friends in the cystic fibrosis community. As I took the brave step to join Facebook groups to make connections and learn more about transplant, my eyes were opened to a whole new world. There…
In the musical “Little Women,” each of the four March sisters has an artistic talent. Jo March’s song “Astonishing,” a feminist lament about her ever-changing path toward writing, is particularly moving. It reminds me of my struggles as a woman with cystic fibrosis (CF). “I’ll shout…
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