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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?"

"Abigail emerged from the flames unscathed as the grateful masses applauded her heroism." Would you be surprised to realize that this character has cystic fibrosis? I aspire to write the kinds of characters I needed when I was younger. Too often, characters with chronic illnesses are portrayed in the media as people to be pitied or treated as incapable. As an aspiring author, I plan to write novels that depict chronically ill individuals as independent, complex, ambitious people. My goal is for people to feel seen by my novels, to find pieces of themselves within the pages. Showing chronically ill characters as the real people they are—not just the "sympathy characters" they are often depicted as—is one of my most significant aspirations. Characters who, despite having these illnesses, go on to live fascinating lives where they are achieving goals beyond simply surviving. For many years, I did not think I was going to be around for much of adulthood. Despite this looming probability, I nursed dreams of becoming a famous author. Starting in childhood, I worked on my writing, creating story ideas and trying each one out, discarding some and building on others. I dreamt of writing novels containing characters with CF and CFRD. Often, when I tell people I have cystic fibrosis, they are shocked that I do not look sicker based on films they have seen. While that representation is important and brings awareness to just how devastating CF can be, I want younger or newly diagnosed people to also see that they can be more than just their disease—that their experiences and accomplishments that are not specifically about CF are just as important. Additionally, I want to not only normalize chronic illnesses, but provide accurate information about them. Most people do not know about the myriad of medications I take, the breathing treatments I undergo daily, or the experiences of struggling to gain weight or get rid of lung infections. In the realm of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, people do not know the symptoms of a low blood sugar, how many extra decisions I make each day, or how it feels when people assume I cannot consume sugar or ask if I need insulin when my blood sugar is low. This lack of awareness about CF, CFRD, and other chronic illnesses is an issue I want to help remedy. Sometimes we have to turn to fiction to help others understand the non-fictions of our daily lives. I hope that spreading awareness and portraying chronically ill people as the capable individuals they are will inspire future generations. Making these stories visible is imperative if we hope to continue to fund the research and technologies needed to treat CF—the results of which have been vital in allowing patients like myself to have a life full of rich experiences, undefined by chronic illness. Helping others like me feel seen and reminding them that they are more than simply their struggles will empower them to strive for what they previously believed impossible.