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?"

For those diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), such as myself, there are unique challenges that significantly shape our lives and have a profound impact on our futures. Since my earliest memory, I have spent an immeasurable amount of time doing what it takes to thrive. Hours of daily breathing treatments and chest physical therapy, countless medications, and frequent hospital visits are demanding. Although sometimes it can be difficult, I have learned to remain positive and turn challenges into opportunities for personal growth. Recently, my CF journey led me to a defining moment that will forever impact my outlook on how to rise above difficult situations and emerge with greater resilience. In February of last year, I was diagnosed with an intestinal blockage that landed me in the hospital for six days. To describe the pain as unbearable is an understatement. I went from being an ordinary, headed-to-class college student to feeling so severely ill I could barely speak. I was taken to the hospital immediately, where I was admitted and undergoing emergency treatment within an hour. Unfortunately, I had already endured four CF-related abdominal surgeries in my younger years and had extensive, internal scar tissue present that made the situation more critical. Over the next six days, I learned a lot about myself and my ability to remain steadfast through adversity. Days and nights blurred together as I met a myriad of doctors, nurses, and surgeons, all striving to lessen my pain and heal my body. They spoke of the multiple surgeries I would need to survive and no definitive solution was in sight. I remember learning about the details of the upcoming surgeries when a surgeon I had not previously met entered my room. She had a unique idea and presented one final treatment option before we proceeded to the operating room. Although it would not likely be a solution, she was willing to try it if I was up for the challenge. Desperate for healing and concerned about the potential lifelong effects of the surgeries at hand, I agreed and began the recommended treatment right away. Against the odds and by the grace of God, my body responded to the medication and began to show signs of improvement within a few hours. My consciousness returned as the pain gradually diminished, and I realized that I was triumphing over the most difficult experience of my life. I regained my ability to breathe normally and could once again speak in complete sentences without pausing between words or wincing in pain as I had all week. I knew in those moments that I would forever be changed. Life may throw some tough challenges my way, but I learned in those moments that I can persevere. I have the potential to emerge stronger than ever, a testament to the power of determination and the capacity of the human spirit. In the end, the harrowing ordeal not only left me with profound lessons of resilience but also sparked a newfound appreciation for life.