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I wonder what it would look like if our mental health struggles were visible to the outside world. Most of the time, they aren’t. In school, we weren’t taught how to manage our mental health. There was no subject about being healthy mentally or emotionally. Western medicine has led those…
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As restrictions from COVID-19 lift ’round these parts, my urge to get back to business as usual has intensified. I’m lucky to live in a state that’s been less affected, so I dared to ask my favorite doctor the burning question: “Is it safe to grocery shop again?” I…
Confusion over how we “should” react to suffering wreaks havoc in the mind, often triggering a shame response. We so often utter the words, “I’m fine,” though that performative response is far from the truth. Inside, we cry out for help. The cultural norm’s expectation is to function without our…
Each time I meet someone new, CF pours from my mouth. It has become impossible to negate that intricate piece of who I am. Cystic fibrosis isn’t my whole life, but it has evolved me into the person I am today. May marks Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. In…
Despite battling chronic illness, I managed to stumble through six years of college. Obtaining my master’s degree in mental health and school counseling was a herculean feat. But I didn’t power through it on my own: I believe in my own product and have had therapy on and off…
In spring 2015 I began journeying toward a challenge I hadn’t known would come to fruition so quickly: lung transplantation. Concerned for my life, my care team had labeled my cystic fibrosis “unmanageable.” Blinded by my inability to admit when I was sick, I couldn’t realize that truth. Wanting…
The invisible killer is nothing new. Something that can’t be contained? I feel that. Not knowing if or when it will hit you? Every. Single. Day. Cystic fibrosis is a monster. And so is having a transplant. There’s always an underlying fear of the untamable beast. Those of us with…
As a new columnist for Cystic Fibrosis News Today, I am honored to join a team of radically talented writers! My name is Lara, and most people call me “LAR-ah.” Many mistakenly call me Laura. The first syllable rhymes with car. Pronouncing my name correctly ranks you highly in…
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How I Discovered That PTSD Was Causing My Post-transplant Struggles
Columnist Lara Govendo addresses an issue that several readers may relate to: post-transplant PTSD, which can wreak havoc.
Visit the Cystic Fibrosis News Today forums to connect with others in the CF community.
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