Work that Works - a Column by Elly Aylwin-Foster

I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’ve gone from being an out-and-proud chronic illness advocate to someone craving something akin to a total cystic fibrosis blackout. I believe in the power of our voices and the importance of speaking up so that…

A common perception about those with disabilities is that when they find a job, they are so appreciative that they are the most dedicated, loyal employees in the building. A recurring theme in conversations that I’ve had about working with chronic illness is that those of us with…

I’m not sure what I’m here for, but I hope it’s something good. From the ages of 8 to 12, I thought I was designed for warfare. My father served in the military, and don’t we all aspire to do as our parents did?…

Getting older has its perks.  With each passing year, I find I’m a little more willing to reveal.  I feel more open to showing my true skin. I used to conceal it with foundation, eyeliner — the whole works. Now, I only cover the…

I have a funny relationship with the P-word. It feels as familiar as my own skin, yet somehow still alien. At clinics when I was growing up, I used to strain my eyes across the table, trying to read my doctors’ notes as they…

Three weeks ago, I gave a guest lecture to the MBA class at the University of Cambridge. The next day, I traveled to Liverpool and appeared onstage with my former cystic fibrosis (CF) consultant at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Europe Community Afternoon.

This time last week, aided by copious amounts of coffee, I was putting the finishing touches on a presentation I would deliver the next day in Berlin. I was speaking at the Medical Affairs Summit, an annual gathering of medical affairs…

Disclosure. What a heavy word. While most people have some aspect of their lives hidden from view — or perhaps kept secret — for someone with cystic fibrosis (CF), disclosure can be a particularly anxiety-inducing word. I believe that CF should never…

I’ve been invited by Dr. Susan Madge to speak at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and CF Europe Community Afternoon in June. Dr. Madge, director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, will be chairing a conversation on…

I’m restless. My eyes are red-rimmed from late-night Google searches. I can’t sleep, in part thanks to CF symptoms, in part because of a mind that’s running too hot, too fast. In daylight, too, I’m preoccupied. Each time I sit down…