Jennifer Chamberlain is a wife and the mother of two. Her youngest child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis while in the NICU. Jennifer has always been passionate about writing, majoring in English in college and teaching a creative writing workshop to middle school students upon graduation. She went on to receive her law degree and is currently a practicing attorney. A Southern California native, you can find her at the beach, planning her next trip, or teaching Pilates in her free time.
“I want to have a baby girl with pink hair and a baby boy when I’m a mommy,” my daughter, Claire, boldly announced as I was cooking dinner the other night. She’s a lot like other 5-year-olds, dreaming of…
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I am not an athlete by any means. But I recently signed up to participate in a hiking fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Normally, I participate in a yearly walking fundraiser, but I had to choose another…
I never thought a diagnosis could bring me comfort after our daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at 3 weeks old, which shattered me. But that is exactly what happened when our son, Connor, was…
The release of the movie “Five Feet Apart” was being publicized during my pregnancy with our second child, Claire, who we’d just learned would potentially inherit cystic fibrosis (CF). I’d never heard of the disease until around…
By the time I was 25, I had studied abroad three times and traveled Australia alone for eight weeks. I always had wanderlust and a level of independence that allowed for it. When our daughter Claire was born with…
Before cystic fibrosis (CF) entered our lives, my social circle consisted mainly of my elementary and high school friends. I was the last one of our group to have children and the first to have a child with…
“It’s a great time to be born with cystic fibrosis.” I remember hearing this sentence from the head nurse during the first clinic of our daughter, Claire. At the time, it felt like they were just words meant…
When my daughter, Claire, was in the neonatal intensive care unit, I was lead counsel on a case that had made its way to federal court. I prepared for the case at Claire’s bedside between breaks of the nurses…
Recently, an expectant father reached out to me on social media after receiving a prenatal cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis. He told me that he was so grateful to our family for sharing our journey and giving other families…
The ski instructor looked at me puzzled and took another look at our daughter. “What does she have again? She looks fine.” This is a common response when I first tell people Claire has cystic fibrosis (CF). Most…
The day my husband and I recited our vows at our wedding, I pictured our perfect future together, just as I had many times before: two kids, ideally a boy and a girl, and a house, maybe even with…
When I was pregnant, we learned that our unborn baby likely had cystic fibrosis (CF). I immediately fell into a deep depression. I didn’t talk to friends and family. I felt like no one could possibly understand what…
As the clock strikes 10 p.m., my daughter Claire’s used nebulizer cups are sitting by the sink, ready for their nightly sterilization routine. All I want to do after a long day of working and taking care of two…
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