Work that Works
— Elly Aylwin-Foster

What qualities does it take to start your own business? Grit, determination, capital, and a good idea will surely all help. Good health is rarely included in the list of qualities needed for wannabe entrepreneurs. That’s because it’s a given. But what about those…

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 saw no reason to do anything differently than the people around…

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 halves my normal walking pace. It leaves me reaching for words…

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 start some big conversations on the impact the CF community is…

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 growing up with CF on the spectrum of a hopeful future…

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 a person with cystic fibrosis (CF) and those in their…

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 high risk of loneliness. Those suffering from loneliness are more likely…

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. My bag clinks with small, powdered vials and syringes. In my…

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 I’d entered. Then the following week, I was admitted to hospital…

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 don’t work properly. While a healthy person may…

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. Amid the nausea, sweats, sleeplessness, pain, bruised veins from botched access attempts,…

“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 under a full moon.” Ask anyone with cystic fibrosis…