I wanted to thank her. This woman came into our office to talk to my boss about a CF golf tournament our company is sponsoring. She works for the CF foundation. I sat at the reception desk, and I heard her speaking so highly of what the CF foundation has accomplished. She explained Kalydeco and the new gating drugs with such excitement, in terms that could be understood, and spoke of what a worthwhile investment this donation was. She spoke of the three people she knew personally who came off of the transplant list after taking Kalydeco. She spoke of hope.

To her, this was just her job. Who knows, she may have a personal connection to CF, but nevertheless this is something she does every single day: raises money to help people like me live. Maybe it was because we were in a professional setting that I didn’t do it, but I wanted to give her a hug and say THANK YOU for working at a job that directly affects me. I wanted to point at myself and say I AM ONLY THIS HEALTHY BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU. Because without the CF foundation, I wouldn’t have hypertonic saline, or pulmozyme, or TOBI, or Cayston…. and without this foundation, I wouldn’t have hope. Hope that something even better is coming down the pipeline, hope that people like this woman work every day towards raising money that goes towards life changing treatments, hope that maybe I can stay this healthy, and most importantly, hope that more and more people with CF will move towards the health that I have. 
But as she rushed out the door, check in hand, I never stopped her to say THANK YOU. I wish I had, but I hope in writing this blog I can say thank you in a bigger way to a bigger audience. Sure, anyone who has ever donated to me gets a fun picture of Kyle and I at the end of the Falmouth Road Race, and I TRY to make sure to thank you personally. But seriously, this blog is for everyone who has ever supported the CF foundation in any way. Maybe I didn’t have the time or the guts to thank this woman for the small role she plays in finding a life-saving treatment…. but it made me realize how much I truly appreciate every dollar that has gone towards CF research. 
This week has been especially eye opening for me… I’m not sure why my health has stood out so boldly this week, but it has. The other day, while at Kyle’s camp on a beautiful lake in Maine, I woke up and felt like I couldn’t take a deep deep breath. So I went for a run. And on that run, in the almost 90 degree heat, I coughed and coughed and coughed. And after, I came back, stretched, did some yoga on the dock, jumped in the lake, and sat down and took that deep deep breath. And I thought, “how lucky am I that I am at a level of health with my CF that I CAN take a deep breath.” And I thought of all the times I’ve spent weeks trying to take that deep breath without coughing. It’s something that I take for granted, and its something that at times, I admit, I feel guilty about. 
Yet this week, instead of feeling guilty, I’ve been extra grateful. Maybe it’s because I got to hold my first nephew, or because I recently finished college, or because I got my first big paycheck…. but I’m doing things I guess I never really imagined to be in my future. I’m LIVING, and I’m BREATHING, and I’m experiencing life in the best way possible: In Good Health. 
And sure, a lot of it’s luck and I feel incredibly blessed that I have the good fortune of this health…. but I owe so much of this to the CF Foundation, and to the people who work so hard to keep my health at this point. There are so many people who have touched my life in a small way that has lead me to the point I am at today. Whether it was through a donation, by writing an inspiring blog on a day I felt uninspired, by telling me that I inspire you, by hugging me, by keeping in touch with me, by reading my blog and commenting, by making me laugh, by cheering me on at a race, all of these small acts have given me the push I need to keep fighting. So whether you know it or not, whether I’ve told you straight out or let you walk out the door without a Thank You…. here it is: THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to all of you who have touched my life and helped to change it for the better.
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