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"Consider the positive influence you aspire to have as someone living with cystic fibrosis. How do you hope to inspire and empower future generations of young adults with chronic illnesses?"

It was a September evening, a few weeks into my first semester of college. Like any new freshman, I was figuring out how to do life away from home, juggling various responsibilities, work and classes, something that is especially difficult when living with a chronic illness. My roommate was out somewhere and I was taking a little time to decompress from a long day, scrolling the internet as many young people my age tend to do. It was as I sat in bed in my dorm room alone that I happened upon a cystic fibrosis message board. A top post was from 2019 regarding a new medication for treating CF that had been released around that time. People were sharing and celebrating the importance of this development and what it would mean for them. Some were having an existential crisis that their life expectancy had just been doubled. That is what broke me. I knew life expectancy for CF was not long but had always avoided finding the truth; I was worried it would be too much to handle. I had started this medication in 2019 and never realized its full impact. So that's how I wound up a fledgling college student crying alone in my dorm room in the dark about how I had a chance to live a real life and not die at 25. I vowed to never miss another dose, pill or treatment again, or at the very least make a change from feeling like I was being forced to take/do something to understanding what a miraculous thing it is to be alive in the time of modern medicine and not to take that for granted. What those people did for me - hearing their stories, reading about their awe in the chance to become a grandparent or grow old - is what I want to do for someone else. I want to be the reason someone decides to keep going, to keep living, not just those with CF but anyone with a chronic illness. It is so easy to forget about expectant living and to be caught in a cycle of poor test results, ineffective treatments, sickness, emotional pain. I want to remind those who fight through the hardship (including myself) that for everyone there is something on the other side that's worth fighting for. My goal is not necessarily to be a figurehead or celebrity; it will all be worth it to make a difference in the life of one person, just as I was impacted on that night. In college I've been able to open up about my challenges and experiences and have found connections where they were unanticipated. I want to be real and present in the moment so I can say "I know your story, because it's mine as well," to remind them that no matter how lonely it may seem we are never ever truly alone.