Living with cystic fibrosis is normal to me. I grew up taking medicines and doing breathing treatments, so I didn’t know any other way of life until my transplant.
l my transplant. Waiting for my second lung transplant was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I struggled both mentally and physically. Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to make it to my transplant.
The support I received was amazing! I never knew so many people cared for me. Organizations and people I had never even met—like some of the women in the Global Sisterhood—helped to spread the word internationally about the importance of transplants and how I needed my second double O+ lung transplant.
Dan Burda and Steven Perrine at Studio Raw (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were incredibly supportive, and they continue to be, as I now need a kidney transplant. They helped with multiple shirt sales, spaghetti dinners, news articles, blanket drives, prayers, and getting monetary donations. The Birthday Bash where we celebrated successful transplants and raised money for cystic fibrosis was amazing!
If you’re looking for an easy way to help people on the transplant list, sign up to become an organ donor. That one simple act can save a life. Help to #EndTheWait for a person who is in need.
After all, I’ve been through, you might think I couldn’t feel “body positive,” but I do. My body has been through some awful things. I have literally been on the brink of death; I have survived through it all. The human body can do amazing things, and that is always a positive thing for me to think about.
So many other people deal with diseases and illnesses that can almost crush our spirits. What I want everyone to know is that, no matter what situation you are in, never give up. Always find the good in any situation, and you will do better than if you are being negative.
