LIVE YOUR LIFE, NOT YOUR DISEASE

As I listened to my podcast on Jerry Cahill’s site www.jerrycahill.com this morning I was very proud.  My pride wasn’t my own, for myself-it was for where we have come as a CF community.  We have not only survived but we have found many ways to thrive.  It was a great feeling.  I have lived for 44 years with this disease-which means 44 years of memories and experiences, pain and joy. Old friends who I lost way too young and way too soon and new friends that I have watched live despite many obstacles and soar.  They have all touched my life and made me better.

I have experienced so many things within my own life and the life of others with this disease and each experience, even the difficult ones, have made me stronger and I believe a more complete person-a better mother, a better friend, a better coach and leader, a more grateful human being and one lucky girl.

I am so grateful to organizations like the Boomer Esiason Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation  for being determined to strengthen the HOPE and DETERMINATION that lives within every person, every family, that lives daily with this disease.

When I was growing up we just were not lucky enough to have all these positive stories and encouraging news-we just didn’t.  We grew with the disease and most of the news was bleak because they were still trying to figure out what the disease was and how to treat it.

NOW, we are figuring it out in a BIG EXCITING Way!  I am SO PROUD and so excited for every little breathing child today-their life is full of so much hope and life expectancy and that is the way it should be.

I am so thankful to people like Jerry Cahill who not only lives every day with CF but makes sure the word gets out through his work with the BEF and his podcasts about how that is possible.  Jerry thrives with what he has and I think that is exceptional.  This guy runs despite needing oxygen many times to do it-he coaches, he competes.  He is not only changing his life but the life of so many others-it was an absolute pleasure meeting him and getting to spend some time with him.  He makes me proud to have CF.

As we met to do my podcast we knew we would have a lot in common and the most thing was our mind set and our decisions to just do what we have to do to live-to “live with” our challenges, not “live for them”.  We both, and many others, have survived and lived with this disease because we chose to fight back and continue to push our limits,-not let statistics define us.  LIVE YOUR LIFE, NOT YOUR DISEASE. THIS is the NEW CF-with cutting edge research, new medications, and treatments, and stories of people living a long and full life with this disease.  I LOVE the new CF and what the future holds for the kids being born today with what I was born with 44 years ago.  I am so grateful I have lived to see it and cannot wait to live to see more of it…until one day I get to lay down my head at night and be thankful for the cure that was found.

That’s all for today, check out my podcast and the amazing podcast stories of so many others on Jerry’s site and the Boomer Esiason Foundation site when you give yourself the time.

Be grateful for what you have in this life and live each day full of hope and determination and the belief that yes, anything is indeed possible.  After all, I am breathing as I write this.

LIVE LIFE FULLY and BELIEVE YOU CAN

Dottie