Meet the 2023 Scholars

"Write a letter to your younger self during a key moment in your life addressing one or more of the following: words of encouragement, lessons you have learned and/or challenges you have overcome."

To Younger Me, This time in your life seems like it may be the hardest thing that you will ever have to do. Though that may be true at the moment, it will not always be like that. Though it does not seem like you will be able to get through this, you will get through it. These challenges that you are facing seem like they are individual to you, they seem like no one else knows what you are going through or what you are dealing with, they seem like they will never end. Do not give up. You will look back on these few years as some of the hardest years, but also the years that you were able to grow the most. These challenges and the struggles you are going through now are what are shaping you to be the person that you are in the future. You are stronger, more resilient, more determined, and more hopeful because of the struggles that come with living with Cystic Fibrosis. One of the best parts about getting through these few years is the satisfaction that you have done it. You know that if you can get through that, you can push through anything. You are stronger than you know, more determined than ever, and these experiences only make you better. It is still not easy, there are still days where I do not want to get up, days where I want to lay in bed and wish that it could all go away. But my mind always goes back to the time that you are in now and I know that I can do it. Your life may look normal to people on the outside looking in. But you know it isn’t. You know that you have to do so much more than your friends to be able to stay healthy and do the same things that they do. You know that it takes so much more effort and determination to be able to achieve the same things they do. That will change. There are advances in medicines, advances in motivation, advances in life quality that will eventually help you to be able to have that semi-normal life that you are looking for. I am not saying that it is easy. I am not saying that it is not hard or that you are not good enough. Instead, through your struggles, look for those small wins. Look for the days when it does not seem as bad. Look for those days where you can do things you couldn’t before. Look for those days that you can feel yourself becoming stronger. Those are the days you will look back on and hold to forever. It will get better. You will get better. You will be better. Sincerely, Your Future Self