Meet the 2024 Scholars

"Describe a defining moment in your journey with CF that sparked personal growth or resilience. How did this experience affect you and what did you learn from this moment?"

A natural part of life is facing adversity and hardship with the desired outcome being overcoming and learning from the experiences. The physical and mental challenges associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) are well documented and often expressed by individuals with lived experiences. My journey has shaped the person I am today because of certain experiences of growth and resilience that came along with the uncertainties and challenges of living with cystic fibrosis. In 2018, I received a bilateral lung transplant. Leading up to this point took countless medical tests, doctor appointments, and having to keep up with my treatments while living a meaningful life even before surgery took place. That process alone was enough to make someone believe there is no positive end in sight. It was daunting, scary, and full of uncertainty. This part of my journey took determination and perseverance that I did not know I had and I kept telling myself to, "take it one day at a time." As cliche as that sounds, it was a way of focusing on my immediate needs, finding routines and stability where I could, and going from there. When the time came for the surgery, I surprised myself by feeling peace and calm. I put my trust in medical personnel and allowed others to take care of me. I believe this can often be a hard concept to accept for people who are experts on their own care and needs. Recognizing that I could not fully control the outcome and allowing others to take burden from me because I truly needed it, was a true awakening in vulnerability and acceptance. This was a big step for me, as I simply learned to not try and prove my worth by showing I could handle things on my own. This experience truly gave me the realization that at some point we do not have full control over our situations, but we often can have control over our mindsets. These thoughts had such a profound impact on my outlook of how I viewed many major situations in my life and truly allowed me to grow on a deeper level of understanding myself. According to medical staff, surgery went well, I was one of the fastest recovering patients they had worked with, and everything was on track. My recovery was not as easy as that sounded from my perspective, however over time as I recovered, I would see minute accomplishments that made me grow to recognize the bigger picture of where I started to where I was and am currently. I am proud of what my body and what it went through. I am proud of my mind and what it went through. I am proud of myself and what I went through. My experience is unique, but the experience of having cystic fibrosis is a shared experience between a larger community filled with experiences of growth and resilience and all of those stories are valid and meaningful.