As you may know, cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease, meaning I was born with a little slip-up in my 7th chromosome that causes all kinds of issues in my body. Well, given that I was, in fact, born this way, Lady Gaga’s song, “Born This Way” really rings true to my life. I have it on my running playlist, and it does nothing but inspire me to keep going when I’m running. The song says “Ooh there ain’t no other way, baby I was born this way.” And its true, there is no other way for me to live my life, I was forced to live my life with cf. So when I’m running, when I’m breathing, when I’m living, I have cf. There is no way to change the way I was born, so I have to embrace it, or at the very least, deal with it and get over it. Yeah, I have cf,… so what? When I’m running and jammin to this song, that SO WHAT is written in huge letters in front of my eyes. I was born this way, so what!
Yesterday I ran over 7 miles in the cool rain. It was the first time I’d gone that long without stopping to catch my breath. When I was running, I didn’t feel like I was born with cf. I felt free from its clutches on my lungs. My legs hurt a little, like a “normal” runner…. but my lungs were fine. Thats an incredible feeling. Something that usually inhibits my running was gone, I felt strong, I felt empowered… so when that song came on, I really kicked it up a notch. I listened hard for the part that says, “I’m on the right track baby, I was born to survive.” I WAS born this way… but I was also born to fight the way I was born, I was born to survive this. I can officially say that I’m ready to do my 7 mile road race for cf in a few weeks. I can’t wait to cross that finish line and prove to myself that I’m fighting this thing to the end, not just by myself through running, but with all of Team CF through fundraising. Baby, I was born to fight, to never give up, to survive.
