Guest Voice: When the disease becomes the teacher
Finding safety in adulthood has improved my CF care
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My junior year of high school was marked by an intense peak of financial and emotional chaos. Warnings of eviction were frequent, as was the constant threat of losing electricity, which was essential for my pulmonary therapy vest and nebulizer treatments. Though I was required to be on a high-calorie diet, navigating the sparse fridge meant I was constantly losing weight.
My living situation was actively compromising my ability to manage cystic fibrosis (CF), forcing my entire focus toward simply making it to the next day. My physical health became a luxury I couldn’t afford.
By the end of the year, I was fed up and decided to make a change. After confiding in a trusted teacher who helped provide the support I needed, I moved in with a friend, making my first choice for long-term survival.
That decision eventually led to being placed in foster care with my friend’s family and starting counseling. I secured my mental health and a stable environment. But even though the chaos subsided, the demanding needs of my body were waiting for their turn.
Creating space for self-care
Camilla Tecsy strolls under the colorful autumn leaves in Brooklyn, New York, in November 2021. (Courtesy of Camilla Tecsy)
The next pivotal moment occurred years later when I met my husband. With him, my old survival mode dissolved, replaced by a feeling of being grounded and seen. The familial security he gave me allowed me to reflect on the choices I had to make as a young adult.
I also recognized that my career path as a teacher was a choice rooted in stability and structure, an anchor built directly from the insecure foundations of my childhood, and a chance to provide other kids the safe support that my teacher once offered me.
But I soon found myself trapped between two relentless masters. CF requires nonnegotiable hours for treatments, meticulous planning, and energy reserves. Teaching, both inside and outside the classroom, demands those exact same hours and commitment.
The rigidity of teaching — with little to no sick time and constantly being on my feet in small, confined spaces during the peak of cold and flu season — left little room for self-care, creating a health conflict that was unsustainable. I realized this was preventing me from keeping up with rigorous CF treatments and fully being the wife and person I wanted to be. Making the decision to leave teaching was an assertion of self-worth.
Changing careers was terrifying, but it was the first time I finally fought for something instead of merely against my circumstances. I committed to a new remote career with flexibility and balance, finally prioritizing the physical well-being of my body. This choice, to align my life with my health, marked the first time I ever practiced such powerful self-love and self-advocacy.
Today, my husband and I are living in the softness we fought for. His unquestioning support allows me to manage my CF consistently, creating the time and safe space I need not just for treatments, but for genuine self-care, which once felt impossible.
Fighting to survive used to force my CF care into the back seat. I made choices that offered immediate mental protection to the detriment of my physical health. I understand now how the defense mechanisms I built as a child protected me in a toxic situation. While that fight was valid, those mechanisms ultimately put my physical health on permanent pause and no longer serve me well.
I am now happier, healthier, and finally able to give the demands of this disease the love and attention they require. It took finding safety in adulthood to realize that CF has become my ultimate teacher.
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Note: Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cystic Fibrosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.
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