Journalist Writes Touching Tribute to Friend With Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a rare genetic condition that affects just 10,000 people in the U.K., so it’s not much of a surprise that Cosmopolitan writer Darryl White didn’t come across the disease until she started university.

Travis Flores shares his cystic fibrosis lung transplant journey on Instagram. 

The oxygen tank Tahlia carried everywhere was the first thing Darryl noticed about her during Freshers week, but she waited until their friendship deepened before she asked why she needed it.

Darryl learned that Tahlia suffered from cystic fibrosis and needed oxygen therapy 24 hours a day. Her lung function was at just 25 percent and she was on the lung transplant list. Tahlia would need an organ donation from a child because she was so petite.

Eventually, Tahlia received the call she’d been waiting for and the procedure was a success. However, lung transplant patients are at risk of rejection, and despite taking anti-rejection medication, Tahlia’s body rejected the new lungs and she passed away in 2015.

Even though the lung transplant didn’t work for Tahlia, Darryl wrote a piece for Cosmopolitan about the importance of organ donors. Darryl explains that although lung transplants aren’t a cure for cystic fibrosis patients, they do extend their lives, and giving a chronically ill person extra time with their loved ones is cherished gift.

You can read Darryl’s full post on cosmopolitan.com. 

Learn more about cystic fibrosis and lung transplants.

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