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Tate
Oh, we’re stoked to have Tate as our MCM this week! @trainwrecktate_ is 32 years old and living in Oregon. Here are 3 things important to HIS story with CF. Be sure to answer his Q at the end!
🦉I grew up in central Pennsylvania. I was diagnosed at 1 after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. My mother said I learned to walk pushing my IV pole down the hallways. Coincidentally around this time, my sister was also diagnosed with CF. We grew up going to the same clinic and seeing the same pediatrician but our paths with CF have been quite different. I was not the model patient. I often skipped treatments, never took my meds and remember thinking PFTs were a game. When it came time for check ups though, I told the doctor I was doing everything and was taking care of myself. I look back and wish I could change all that. I often wonder if I would be healthier now had I been more diligent then.
🦉It’s weird but I credit my first exacerbation in my early 20s as a wake up call. I woke up experiencing sharp chest pains in the middle of the night and was rushed to the ER. I spent a week in the hospital and got to know the doctor who really helped me turn myself around. He wasn’t my pulmonologist at the time but because of him I ended up changing care centers. The entire team was caring, understanding and my doctor was never afraid to give it to me straight when I had questions about my health. Following my stay, therapies and meds no longer took the back seat. I was able to see improvements in my FEV1, my weight and overall health.
🦉I moved to the Oregon coast in 2013 for work. It was a whole new beginning and environment. The salty air being one of the many benefits. I left my immediate family and had to start over at a new clinic. It was stressful. I learned to deal with my stress through new hobbies like photography and bird watching. It has also been rewarding. I would have never learned as much about myself had I not changed my environment. Change can be good and bad but I’ve learned to face it head on. There are no shortcuts.
My question to the CF community is: How do you deal with changes in your life?For more information follow the link here.
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