How Alex Edelman’s comedy helped me reflect on my life with CF
Last weekend, my wife and I went to Manhattan to see comedian Alex Edelman perform his one-man show “Just for Us” on Broadway. The show revolves around how he initially…
Understanding Nonsense — William Ryan
William Ryan is an adult with cystic fibrosis and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. William is from Bayonne, New Jersey, a small peninsula city roughly 20 minutes from New York City. Along with being a columnist, he works in local government helping senior citizens, disabled citizens, and veterans. He was diagnosed with CF in early 1993. He has a rare mutation of CF, mostly affecting his digestive system rather than his respiratory system. William and his wife, Gina, have two dogs, Otis and Ruby. He hopes you’ll enjoy reading his columns as much as Otis and Ruby do.
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Working through the trauma of pulmonary function testing
I can still envision it: The top half of the wall was painted a shade of beige, while the bottom half was covered in blue wallpaper with white stripes. That’s how I remember the…
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Canadian wildfires have made life with CF even more challenging
During the last month, the smoke from Canadian wildfires has made its way into a significant area of the United States, drastically affecting the ability of residents to breathe, particularly those with…
The online CF community needs to rein in distasteful jokes
As a former stand-up comedian, I’ve heard jokes about every topic under the sun, from Tinder to kitchen appliances, to every dark and demented aspect of human life. I’ve also made jokes about…
Honoring fathers, the men in my life who inspire me
For years, it felt like Dad and I were polar opposites of each other, despite sharing the same first and last name and some of the same DNA. He’s always been an outgoing and…
In the spirit of Kendall Roy, I wonder what life without CF would be like
Living with a terminal illness such as cystic fibrosis (CF) can leave one asking questions like, “How would my life be different if my cystic fibrosis were cured?” Many of us would love…
Me and Mr. Freeze: Why I choose to keep most of my life private
I am not comfortable peeling back the curtain and letting people see in person what my life is like with cystic fibrosis (CF). I know I write about some aspects of my…
A tribute to mothers, who taught me the importance of showing up
One of my favorite things about my mom is that she has really good taste in entertainment. I know it might sound shallow, but really, I love it. Growing up as an only child…
How my parents and New York City taught me courage in life with CF
I could just smell it. I didn’t want to breathe it in; no one did. The air was as thick as the winter coat I was wearing. The smell stabbed at my skull like…
My first experience receiving IV antibiotics through a PICC line
New medicine can be scary, especially for a person with cystic fibrosis (CF), because all medications come with side effects, some predictable and some not. When you couple new meds with an…
How my guidance counselor taught me to embrace myself and CF
Note: This column includes thoughts about suicide. Resources for help are listed at the end. The Los Angeles Dodgers weren’t always based in sunny LA. Formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers, and affectionately known as “…
Digging through my Irish ancestry to look for clues of cystic fibrosis
Since my recovery from a life-threatening sepsis attack on my gallbladder and appendix in 2019, I’ve slowly begun to put together my family’s history, going back to Ireland. The attack triggered an urgency within…
How ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ helped connect me to the world
There are certain albums that have withstood the test of time and become legendary as they’re passed down from one generation to the next. That list includes, but isn’t limited to, The Beatles’ “Sgt.
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