Well as u know my name is Kendra. When I was only a few days old I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (aka CF). I have lived a very healthy life for someone that has CF. Growing up as a child with CF I really didn’t know that I was different from any other kid my age. My parents didn’t treat me any different other then if I had a little cough I was at the doctors, " better to be safe then sorry" my mom always tell me. Growing up I was taking enzymes with meals and doing treatment once or twice a day. When I did the treatments I used only albuterol and saline. I would go to see my doctor once a year. My mom always told them as long as i was healthy she was only be bringing me once a year. I had a very healthy and active school life I was in dance for a good while and loved it. I was also in choir from 6th grade until 11th grade. I really think that is one reason I was so healthy( and still am) singing is like respiratory therapy, every day after singing I would be coughing up a storm. What made me quit Choir was one day while in choir class my teacher in front of the whole class said “You either need to stop coughing or leave the class you are being disruptive. " I was humiliated and embarrassed by her calling me out in front of the whole choir class. they knew that i had CF but i guess they really did not care enough. I should have stuck up for myself but i really didn't know a lot about CF and have the support system to be proud of my CF and that i was so healthy. Yes my parents supported me but didn't expose me to what CF really was they didn't want to scare me. which anyone that has googled CF knows that it can be a really scary thing. The last few years in high school flew by I meet a guy named Fabian and fell head over heals for him. We date my junior and senior year in high school and talked about marriage but figured that I better get thought high school. I graduated May 2007! Wahooo. That year I move in with Fabian and he asked me to marry him! I started college in the fall and started to plan the wedding of my dreams. After moving out I became a little rebellious with my health and didn’t go to see my CF doctor as much as they wanted me to. I didn't know the importance in keeping up with appointments as a young adult. When I finally went to see my doctor he told me I need to be moved to the Adult CF clinic. I was not to keen on that idea but I did make an appointment and go eventually (i am a bit of a procrastinator when I really don’t want to do something) in the mean time I was planning my wedding we picked a date and made all of the arrangements. My wedding was like something in a fairytale.
As we said our vows the sun was setting, it was near perfect, minus the noise bleed that I got right after the father daughter dance (don’t worry it didn't stain the dress). After the New Year I finally went to the adult CF clinic and was completely overwhelmed with everything I was told and showed. All of what they were showing me was foreign, the different meds to take and the flutter, the acapella, the vest... WHAT THE HECK. Why didn’t my other doctor talk to me about ANY of this I felt so embarrassed not to know that things that they had to show me. How to clean your cup, really I went 19 years without knowing how to clean them the right way?! They took me of the medication was taking and put me on the albuterol inhaler, hyper Sal, the acapella and pulmuzyme. I was so overwhelmed with all the new things they said that I needed to do. I was working full time and going to school full time I felt like I didn’t have the time to do my treatments so I did them but not religiously . A few years when by and my PFT (pulmonary function test) went from 100 plus % to where it is now 87 %. I am just now learning the hard way how important it is to listen to you doctor and do what they say. I know that i am still very healthy for someone that has CF and hearing all of there stories push me to keep myself healthy. My husband and I want to have kids in the next few years and I want to try and get my PFT's back up into the 100's before we start trying to have a child.
