Blue-Eyed Breather

Have you heard of the new show called Red Band Society  on Fox? Let me give you the run down. It features several kids who "live" in the hospital, including two cancer kids, a kid with cystic fibrosis, one girl with a heart problem, one girl with anorexia, and a boy in a coma.   I wanted to give this show a fair chance. I mean, any press regarding sick kids should be a good thing, right? Maybe a show focusing on children with illnesses could help our society be kind to people dealing with illnesses and treat them with compassion. Maybe people would stop walking on eggshells around kids with diseases. Who knows, maybe something good could come from it. However, after watching the show for several weeks, I have come away fairly disappointed in its execution for several reasons.  1. The boy with cystic fibrosis is a very poor representation of CF patients. He is supposedly in the hospital for a tune up, but you never see him receiving IV antibiotics, doing breathing tre...

If you've been wondering where I've been, don't worry, I'm still alive and well! The past few months have been a bit crazy, and I don't expect it to get much calmer anytime soon. So, to catch you up... I started school in August. That's been going really well. If you've read any of my past posts, you know I'm a nerd and love learning, and I thoroughly enjoy school. Sure, taking tests can be a pain when they all fall within a week of each other, but I like the challenge of showing off what I've learned. Call me crazy, but it's true. My classes are interesting, and I'm continuing to expand my knowledge on a daily basis. I'm blessed by the privilege of getting to learn from some amazing professors who really care about their students at a school that pushes students to do everything with excellence. Next week, I register for my final semester as an undergraduate. I can hardly believe that I'll be walking the stage to receive my college...

I'm starting my senior year of college next Monday. How in the world am I old enough for that?! Sometimes, I feel like I've lived a lifetime. Others, I still feel like a kid. Today, I'm definitely feeling like a child, not old enough to be living on my own, handling my medical care, being less than a year away from graduating college and (Lord willing) starting grad school, and having friends getting married. Yet here I am, and all those things are a reality in my life. Time is a funny thing; you don't notice its passing until you look back to see how far you've come.  Looking back over these past three years of college, I can see how much I've grown and changed. I'm no longer the same person I was in high school. For example, I was a Christian in high school, but I have grown so much in my faith in college. I've learned what it means to trust God in every single circumstance. God has developed in me a love for the Bible that wasn't nearly as fierce ...

Hey friends! I recently saw this article on twitter, and I knew that I had to share it on my blog. If you know me at all, you know that cystic fibrosis is obviously a huge part of who I am. I have learned about the preciousness of life and how to trust God through the good times and the bad. I, of all people, know how hard life can be with cystic fibrosis. But I also know that I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I am extremely blessed with great friends and an amazing support system, and I know that God has a plan for my life. Me having CF wasn't a surprise to Him! However, I have heard people say that with the ability of medical technology to know if a child is going to have a "problem" before it's born, parents should think critically about their options regarding life before they have to deal with immense health struggles. This last year, I even overheard one person say that all babies with CF should be aborted because parents shouldn't have to deal w...

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you may have seen all the crazy updates the past week. If not, let me tell you that I had a rather terrifying experience during surgery on July 18th. I was going in for routine sinus surgery; no big deal, right? Wrong. No one will ever be able to tell anyone in my family that there is such a thing as routine surgery after this experience. I got to the hospital bright and early (5:30 am, to be exact). Everything went fine during check-in. They gave me the way too big hospital gown, took some blood, asked me a million and two questions, and got me all ready to go into surgery. The sinus surgery itself went beautifully. Dr. Eskew was able to get a lot done and fix a lot of potential issues. However, when I was waking up from the anesthesia, my breathing was out of sync. My abdomen and chest were not moving together, and I had uncontrolled movements. As well, my carbon dioxide level was 92; it's supposed to be between 23-29 (so it was dangerou...

Today, I start yet another round of IV antibiotics. I counted the number of times I've had IVs the other day, but I kept losing track. If I were to make a rough estimate, I'd say I've had 25 or so courses of IV antibiotics over my life. Needless to say, I'm used to the routine: get poked/taped up so my port stays accessed and sterile, run two different IVs every eight hours, flush the port with saline and heparin appropriately, get blood drawn twice a week, get port reaccessed once a week, run the course of antibiotics for three weeks, go to the doctor at the end to check PFTs (pulmonary function test), don't get the access site wet, shower strategically, take zofran (anti-nausea medicine) as often as possible, take naps frequently. When you've had heavy-duty IVs as often as I have, you know all the tricks. Let's be real, I'm pretty sure I know more than most nurses! But that's beside the point. IVs are a part of my cystic fibrosis journey. It's ...

In the craziness of this life, we often forget to stop and be thankful. We get swept away with running errands, going to school, doing chores, working a job, or spending time with friends and family. None of those things are bad, but it's good to slow down and remember how blessed we are. I haven't written a thankful Thursday blog in awhile, and I decided that today would be the perfect day to write one.  1. I'm thankful for the time I had in Waco this summer. Not only did I get to work Camp Success (see last blog post), but I also got to know some really amazing people who I am thankful to now call my friends. I was able to break out of my introverted shell and enjoy getting out of my comfort zone. Can you believe it--I actually enjoyed getting out of my comfortable little bubble! I know that God gave me the opportunity to stay in Waco for half the summer, and I am so grateful!!  2. I'm thankful for my education and for scholarships that help me pay for it. I am an avi...