Cystic Fibrosis News Today Forums Forums Community Spotlights 31 Days of CF 2022 Day 20 of #31DaysOfCF: CF Isn’t Anything To Be Embarrassed Of

  • Day 20 of #31DaysOfCF: CF Isn’t Anything To Be Embarrassed Of

    Posted by jessie-madrigal-fletcher on May 23, 2022 at 5:00 pm

    For Ana Allen, living with cystic fibrosis was something she felt embarrassed of in grade school because of its complications — stomach issues, coughing blood, nasty cough, etc. She would always try to cover it up, only telling her closest friends.

    Then she met Brady in law school. They studied together, lived in the same apartment complex , walked their dogs together, and ate many meals together. Ana hid her CF from him for a year and a half, until the day she was forced to tell him. She felt most vulnerable.

    And what did Brad do? He assured Ana he was always going to be there for her. That night was a huge turning point. They started dating in December 2018, and married in December 2020.

    Ana, your vulnerability shows incredible courage!

    Now back to our CF Community: Have you ever felt the need to hide your symptoms from others?

    To read the rest of Ana’s story, and learn more about that night she had to tell Brad everything, click here.

    Our #31DaysOfCF initiative is running for the entire month of May. Each day, we are featuring a different story, and a different view of life with CF. To read all of the stories, visit our website.

    jessie-madrigal-fletcher replied 1 year, 10 months ago 0 Member · 0 Replies
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  • paul-met-debbie

    Member
    May 25, 2022 at 7:46 am

    What a beautiful love story! You clearly belong to eachother and we wish you all the joy in life. Perhaps you two might enjoy reading a Tale about this:

    https://www.parkinsjordaans.nl/downloads/23_Intentions_A_tale_about_three_Love_Poems.pdf

    I never felt the need to hide symptoms,  but out of a care for privacy I didn’t expose my bodily peculiarities either. So, those who didn’t pay attention, didn’t know of me having CF, and those who were attentive, did after a while. It is quite a natural process this way. I have never been rejected for having CF. Sharing intimacy and being vulnerable mostly evokes intimacy and empathy. That is how the healthy human brain works in most cases. Love is reciprocal and embracing in this dance we call life.

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