2008 Thriving Student Achiever

Laura B.'s Essay

This essay was a blank page staring back at me for some time. It required me to give recognition to something that I, and two of my three sisters, have been fighting against our whole lives. The tenuous nature of my life with CF has allowed me to face the reality that I’m not guaranteed longevity. Because of this truth, I choose to live now be seeing and experiencing things that others have not. Thus, living with CF has become the pushing force behind many of my big and small adventures.

My health is, and always will be, a consideration in my endeavors. So, rather than begrudging CF’s presence, I have learned to challenge it by loving life, whether it be sitting at my kitchen table or standing on a foreign coastline. I will not let it define me, because cystic fibrosis is not my life. That is why I keep dreaming and pursuing all the beautiful things this world has to offer. It is times like holding hands under the table, swimming among the fish in the Great Barrier Reef and stealing turkey off the counter before a Thanksgiving meal that make my life good…actually great. Living with CF has taught me that memories like these are worth the struggles, the tears, and even, shall I say it…the excessive mucus. I am willing to face all of it at the end of the day because the world awaits, and I have much more to see tomorrow.