Well, it finally happened: Twenty-two months after my double-lung transplant, I finally got sick for the first time. I gotta say, with a suppressed immune system, illness isn’t so lovely. I saw the docs last Tuesday, and they ran a panel of tests. No…
Victorious — Brad Dell
Brad Dell is Deaf and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 2 months old in 1993. He received a double-lung transplant from UC San Francisco in January 2017, then cochlear implants nine months later. He lives in Hawaii, where he was raised. Usually he’s traveling the world, chugging coffee, or devouring books. He also pastors Restoration Community Church and serves as the director of community content at Bionews, this site’s publisher.
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As a child I was a kicker, the type no nurse wants to be near when wielding needles and throat swabs. Eventually I’d relax my shrieking when Mom or Dad held my hand and called me brave. The nurses were then more warmly received. To be safe, they came bearing…
The 2018 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Denver was rad, huh? The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is making great strides in the inclusion of patient voices, which has led to a selection of initiatives based on our feedback. Over the next five years, the foundation…
It’s World Mental Health Day! Well, it won’t be when you read this. But it is as I write this. I posted some confessions on Instagram about my struggles with mental health, and I got a bunch of incredibly kind messages from friends saying they…
I’ve been single for a year now, and I’m darn proud of it. I didn’t think I could do it, and I’ve grown so much because of it. From ages 17 to 24, I was with a wonderful person. It was us against the destructive titan, cystic fibrosis.
Fall 2010 I’ll never forget the morning I couldn’t understand what my friends said as we waited for classes to begin. I’ll never forget calling Mom, phone pressed to my right ear, and not understanding what she said, either. Or my heaving sobs as friends…
Wednesday’s evening air was heavy. It was as if Atlas kneeled and tugged the sky down with him. I drove through the California hills and beaches of Santa Cruz for hours, searching for anything that could relieve my inexplicable despair. While driving, I remembered the month before, when I sat…
I’m a positive guy, I swear it. But I’m exhausted and need a good vent. *** When I pay about $100 per week for prescription medicine, I feel punished for having a genetic defect. I loathe that my body actively tries to murder itself against the…
Friends. Today, my message is simple. Your quality of life matters. Quality of life is integral to physical health Inevitably, you will face trials that require quality of life sacrifices for survival. “Sacrifice” is a carefully chosen word, in the way one might sacrifice a legion to win…
Winter 2016-17: Sabrina Santos We called each other twins. Sabrina, like me, was a nerdy, faithful, coffee-loving journalist. She also had cystic fibrosis, Mycobacterium abscessus, deafness, and an urgent need for lung transplantation. Unlike me, she was fearless. Sabrina wielded titanic power. Her radiant eyes could shatter…
“Ahhh, so lucky! Enjoy your vacation.” Many people thought hospitalizations were times to sit around and cruise the internet; get treated like royalty and served wine. (Nah, I only got rubbing alcohol.) The response was rarely, “I hope you feel better,” or, “Let me know if I can…
I come from the generation of “Netflix and chill,” except for me, it wasn’t a sexual innuendo. My college life consisted mostly of watching Netflix and chilling; sitting on the couch with my girlfriend at the time, and binge-watching TV shows. I was known for being a successful…
I’ve been in sticky situations with dude doctors. With many male doctors, it’s a CF battle. We’re overcome by politics and competition; tackling for command and barking orders at each other. Yes, it’s mutual because I’m a stubborn dude, too. That said, I’ve had some incredible docs who…
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