About Me...Part 1

So I know that I have given you a brief description of me in the "About Me" section on my blog. However, I think that there is a lot more to share. I've seen this done on a few other blogs, so I thought I would give it a try. I'm not going to give you my full life story, just some things that led up to my transplant and some things that have happened since then. So here it goes....

I was born in 1985. I have 1 brother, who is 2 years younger, who DOES NOT have CF. I have 2 wonderful and loving parents and a very supportive family. My Dad is a Vet, and my Mom is an occupational therapist. Until about a few weeks ago, there was no trace of CF in my family.

I was diagnosed with CF shortly after birth. I had an intestinal blockage at birth, which was the 1st indication I might have CF. I was able to live a fairly normal life until the age of about 7. At that time, I began doing CF therapies and added some additional medications. I also went in the hospital for the 1st time for a CF "tune-up." For those of you who don't know, CF patients go in the hospital for "tune-ups" where they receive IV abx (antibiotics) to help give them a boost and to feel better. I was then able to wait another 3 years, until the age of 10, before I had to go back in the hospital. I've always attended a public school, and was able to have a fairly normal every day routine like any other kids at that time.

At the age of 10, my CF started to get progressively worse. Hospital visits were more frequently and I was having trouble keeping up with day-to-day things, especially physical activity and weight gain. In the 5th grade, I went in the hospital about 3 times that year. I also got a feeding tube to help with gaining weight and nutrition. From about the 5th-grade until the 8th grade, hospitalizations were about every 3 or 4 months and things really started to go down hill. Beginning in 5th grade, I started wearing oxygen at night, which greatly limited slumber parties, etc., with friends. Nevertheless, I still attended a public school and was part of many school organizations, Honor Society, advanced classes, etc. I wanted to be as normal as possible. Until about the 8th grade, I never told any of my friends I had CF. They just thought I got sick frequently. My family and I were and still are very strong in our faith of Jesus Christ, which makes these situations so much easier to handle and endure. In the 8th grade, things began to change dramatically.

In January of 1998, I went in the hospital for a what was supposed to be 10-day tune up. During this stay, I "caught" the flu (yes...in the hospital), which made my health take a huge turn the wrong way. I spent 5 1/2 weeks in the hospital that time (which included my b'day and Valentines' Day). The decision was also made for me to get evaluated for a lung transplant. I had just turned 13 at this time. This was a huge shock for me and something I did NOT want to do. But I didn't have a choice and my parents made my decisions for me. In spring of that year, I traveled, along with my parents, to St. Louis Children's Hospital to be evaluated for a double-lung transplant.

To be continued.....