Work that Works
— Elly Aylwin-Foster

Growing up, I was lucky to attend school almost entirely uninterrupted by cystic fibrosis. I didn’t see the inside of a hospital for more than occasional appointments until I was 19. Until then, I…

Reader, I am tired. I don’t need to explain how that feels to those who have cystic fibrosis (CF), but for the benefit of others, I will. It’s a kind of tiredness that…

I’ve written recently about getting more feedback and input from the CF community for this column. I love sharing my journey with you, but I’m only one person. Through this column, it’s my ambition to…

My column focuses on working life and professional ambitions for people with cystic fibrosis. I write it for two reasons. The first is to speak to carers, parents, and young people…

Many young professionals burn the candle at both ends, especially when the temptation to fit into a big city’s lifestyle lurks. Somehow, they continue to function as productive humans — for the most part. But…

Loneliness is a killer. It’s perhaps not something those of us with life-limiting physical conditions spend much time thinking about. But the statistics are convincing. In the U.K., women aged 18-24 are at…

The gentleman in front of me is held up. An unsmiling, uniformed official calls him to one side with a brisk gesture. We exchange worried glances. The beeping intensifies and I start to perspire. I’m up next.

I was made redundant last year. A week later, I turned 30. One week after that, I found out that I had failed to make it into the preliminary stages of the first publishing competition…

Picture the scene: You’re standing in front of a sea of faces about to present something. You’re a woman who’s 5 feet, 2 inches (OK, 5 feet, 1½ inches) tall. Oh, and several of your major organs…

During these last two weeks, I’ve felt the sickest I have in years. I was admitted into the hospital for a bronchoscopy, intravenous antibiotics, and continuous aminophylline infusion to counteract chest tightness.

“Alcohol gel like it’s going out of fashion.” “Giving the stink eye to the colleague who came to work with a cold.” “Hot tea with six cloves of garlic, crushed, and five rotations…

Last week, I introduced this column to share my experiences while working with cystic fibrosis (CF): the highs, the lows, the mid-meeting IVs — those kinds of things. In this column, I want…