A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to be a little more active in the CF community as I was growing up. So I started joining Facebook groups and met a girl named Rachel Whidden. She was just someone who had similar interests as me, and happened to have CF too. So I added her. It wasn’t until this last week that we really started talking. We talked about our love of traveling, so I really hope she gets to get back to that life really soon!
Anyways, yesterday I learned that this cyster of mine is going through a very difficult time right now. I wanted to write about what she is going through because it is a story that shows the world how CFers handle pain and stress. We don’t always go through the easiest of life experiences, but that’s just how life is for us. A couple of days ago, Rachel was rushed to the ER with a collapsed lung. This is very painful and dangerous. It occurs when air leaks from the lung into the lung cavity. In order to fix this, a chest tube must be inserted (or in Rachel’s case, two tubes) to help re-inflate the lung and allow it to heal. Through this whole process, Rachel has stayed positive and smiling. We always know that things will turn out alright in the end, one way or another. Unfortunately, the leak in Rachel’s lung is just not healing, so she may have to be transferred to a bigger hospital to have them try and fix the leak. If the leak doesn’t heal, then she will have to be put on the transplant list and live in the hospital until she gets her new lungs. She started her journey with the idea of a transplant in her somewhat near future at the beginning of the year. I am so proud of her for working so hard and pushing it off until now. So we will have to see what happens from here on. However, whatever happens, I know that Rachel will be strong and be true to the “CF attitude”. I don’t know if that’s a real thing, but it should be.
While I know this is somewhat of a sad story, I just want to share some of the experiences that we go through as CFers. Luckily, I have not had to share my own personal stories of this kind of trauma yet. The most exciting thing that I have to share as of late is that I am getting a medi-port tomorrow, but I will make a post about how that goes once I have gotten the port placed. Hopefully by sharing our stories, we will raise support and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. I am happy to say that I noticed a rise in awareness in the last couple of years, which has probably contributed to the success that the medical world has been having in the research for a cure. So let’s keep this up and share and support all of the stories we can so one day we can all breathe easy.
