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?"

Standing in front of my class, nervous sweat dripping on my face from the projector lights above me. I was about 10 minutes into my 25 minute final AP Biology project when one of my classmates raised their hand and asked a question- one that has stuck with me since. To close out the year of evolution, photosynthesis, and genetics, my final assignment was daunting: a presentation about any biological topic of our choosing. Naturally, my teacher suggested that I choose Cystic Fibrosis. She was aware of my diagnosis, as were a few close friends in the class, but selecting CF as my topic meant that I would have to speak about it in front of my whole class. Once I became somewhat comfortable with this idea, I crafted and presented a PowerPoint full of statistics, graphics, and genetic concepts that I thought encapsulated the entirety of the disease. That was until this question. I was asked about my experience with CF, how it impacted me, how I was able to live with it. This was a question begged by a curious classmate who was simply trying to gain participation points, however it sparked something in me that I never anticipated to be a result of this project. My mom found out about my diagnosis when she was only five months pregnant, so I have never lived a day without knowing about CF. As I grew up, I never really discussed my treatments or doctor's appointments with friends or teammates. For so long, CF was just a part of my life that I had to live with. So when faced with this question, I had to think. I never really considered how CF shaped me because I never got to know who I was without it. After giving a short and sweet answer about the daily routine with CF, I went home, and since then I think about that question quite often. Taking a step back to evaluate my life with CF showed me truly how special it is; I considered times when all of my family came to support me at walks or fundraisers, or the community I was a part of as a result of the disease. As a sophomore now, one of the most impactful parts of my college experience has been the opportunity to be a Boomer Esiason Foundation BEF Athlete. I have been able to grow from a patient who saw my CF as something to hide, to someone who is able to share my story with the community and raise awareness. While Cystic Fibrosis makes it harder for me to do gymnastics, or means that I couldn't go on every school field trip, it is also a source of community and strength for me. This was something that I couldn't see for so long; I was too blinded by painful tests and medications to recognize it, but that one question from a classmate I barely knew changed my perspective in many different ways.