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Siblings with CF
When people learn that my sister also has CF (and that we grew up with a third CF sister, before she passed away) many are curious to know if/how we practice cross infection prevention protocol.
When my sisters and I were young, the dangers of cross infection were not yet known by the medical community. Like most siblings, we shared our lives without any concern about the germs we might be sharing. It wasn’t until we were older that we learned of things like the 6-foot rule and maintaining distance between others with CF. At this time, my sister and I cultured the same strains of bacteria, so we still weren’t too concerned.
Flash forward several years to adulthood. My sister had been away to college, moved across the country, and started her family. She and I both began culturing very different strains of bacteria, with a variety of antibiotic resistances, that we knew might be damaging to one another. This is when we realized we needed to change our approach.
Now, when we see each other (which is only once a year) we implement a variety of precautions. We don’t stay in the same home, ride in the same car, share utensils or prepare food the other may be eating. We wear masks if we’re indoors together for any length of time. We’ve had to realize that even though we are family, our risk of cross infection does not change.
Fortunately, my sister and I are very close despite our physical distance. We haven’t felt that these precautionary measures have changed our relationship. However, we love to imagine the day we can safely hang out with each other. For both of us, Trikafta has changed the type and amount of bacteria growth we each have. This is so encouraging! It is our dream that one day, maybe years from now, we’ll both have clean cultures and we’ll be able to (safely) have a girls trip with our daughters.
I know some siblings with CF who do not choose to take cross infection precautions. I’ve been told that life is too short to not regularly hug my sister (and I get it… that is sad). But she and I both believe that this is a small price to pay for each other’s health. What are your thoughts? Do you have a sibling with CF? How do you choose to approach cross infection issues together?
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