Jason F.'s Essay

Living with CF has taught me the importance of being a dedicated and committed person. From a very young age, I have been on a rigorous therapy schedule that included numerous daily exercises, therapies and medications. While I viewed this as a burden when I was a child, I now appreciate the character building lessons I have learned in the process. I quickly realized that I needed to be extremely committed to my daily treatment schedule if I wanted to maintain my health. As I grew older, the same dedication and perseverance I used to maintain my health trickled over into other aspects of my life.

I am extremely dedicated to my career ambition of obtaining a tenure-track position at a college or university as a professor of music composition. In order to succeed at this goal, I am currently a second-year doctoral student in music composition and I work part-time as a teaching assistant in the electronic music lab at the University of North Texas. In my personal life, I am soon to be married to my life partner, with whom I know I will spend the rest of my life.

While CF has disabled me in a number of ways, it has enabled me in equal as many. It has given me an incredible drive and will to succeed, taught me about the importance of patience and dedication to my health, but most of all it has taught me to value my life and to live every minute to its fullest.