Meet the 2019 Scholars

"Choose one inspirational quote or motto that has helped you throughout your journey with cystic fibrosis. How do you live by your quote or motto and how has it motivated you to accomplish your goals?"

“You have CF, so no, you don’t have hope for a normal life. You have hope for an INCREDIBLE life.” Claire Wineland, (1997–2018) This is my favorite quote, special to me because Claire had CF. I followed Claire’s YouTube channel. When she died in 2018 I was shocked. “Five Feet Apart”, the recent film about CF, is dedicated to Claire in the closing credits. It was loosely based on Claire’s life, but she died from complications from a double-lung transplant before its release. Seeing her name at the end of the movie, I couldn’t help thinking about how Claire inspired so many. In this quote from her TED talk, Claire is explaining how having CF takes away your chance for a normal life, but that’s not a bad thing because you can have an incredible life instead. I love that! When I started middle school, anyone who knew anything about CF and musical instruments would have advised against playing the flute, the instrument that requires the most air. But I wanted to play flute, so I made it happen. The pursuit of an incredible life is much more interesting than a normal life. Of course I sometimes wish I didn’t have CF, but that’s not in my control. Making my life as incredible as I can, that motivates me to keep up with my meds and treatments, work harder at my music, and keep pushing toward being an incredible music educator and performer.