The Beginning..

I remember sitting at the doctors’ office while the doctor Fisher was talking to my whole family, before getting diagnosed, Dr. Fisher, explained to us why he thought Sarah is a candidate for Cystic Fibrosis. She was only about 13 months old, and was put through sweat tests, along with blood tests, and chest x-rays. The sweat test measured the amount of salt in her sweat. After seeing the outcomes, it was evident Sarah had Cystic Fibrosis.  This was a horrific moment, since neither my parents nor I have Cystic Fibrosis, it was so unexpected. Symptoms started just after she was diagnosed- her lungs were starting to ache and then got a really bad cough that wouldn't go away. She also would not have a lot of energy, and started losing weight. These are just some of the early symptoms with Cystic Fibrosis.

I recall just about 10 years later, Sarah was still struggling with Cystic Fibrosis since there is no cure. For the most part, she had a daily life. However, Sarah had to do some airway clearance techniques, anywhere one to four times a day, it was such a hassle, but an obligation in order for her to survive. This helped remove thickened mucus from the lungs, to prevent bacteria to build up. Sarah also had to take digestive enzymes with every meal because the thickened mucus in the pancreas and intestines disrupts the normal flow of the pancreatic enzymes. As well as these two things, Sarah also has to take antibiotics to control lung infections, which can be caused from the mucus in the lungs. She also has to go to frequent visits at a CF [Cystic Fibrosis] clinic. Sarah would have diarrhea very often as an affect from the illness. Sarah also had some difficulty exercising during her gym class, as a result from her breathing problems and chest pains. Since she did not want to publicize her disease she ended up failing the class for the year. Especially when she would start sweating, all the children would make fun of her because her sweat was salty. This just kept bringing Sarah down, until she finally decided to go public about Cystic Fibrosis.