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"How has your journey with CF shaped the problems you want to solve and the impact you hope to have on others?"

Growing up with cystic fibrosis has shaped the way I view life and the people around me. Though CF has always been a demanding part of my life, I never allowed CF to define who I was or stop me from achieving any goals. Since a young age I fully understood that my health was something that needed to be closely monitored, but I never let it prevent me from living life to the fullest. I chose to participate, and grow through my experiences just the same as everyone else. As my health improved over time it became easier to accomplish that goal. Fortunately because of this it was rare I ever felt separated from others. Instead I was taught a certain perspective while growing up with CF. During my hospital stays, treatments, or sick days I realized that many people are faced with challenges just like I am and many are far greater and harder to deal with than my own. Due to my realization I began to understand and appreciate just how lucky I was. Life itself is a blessing and my gratitude inspired me to take action within. Cystic fibrosis has left an impact on me that has deepened my understanding of many aspects of life and the world around me. From a young age, grief, vulnerability, illness were all struggles I understood not because I directly felt connected to them but I could see it in others. Since then my experiences growing up and with CF have led me to the conclusion that I want to be someone who can help others be seen and heard. I have made it a point in my life in recent years to always remind those closest to me that I love them. They must know I will always be there to listen or help however I can, it doesn't matter who you are to me or how long it may be since we spoke but I want to support people when they are having difficult times because I know it's what I would want in my own life. My desire to help others has driven me towards an interest in pre-med paths. As I pursue college I want to use my experience with CF to help me support people in need. Instead of cystic fibrosis being a limiting factor in my growth it has instead fueled me into becoming the person I am today. I have learned much about myself but more importantly I learned a lot about other people and the compassion required to understand them. My goal to always provide care and understanding to those in need is guided by an idea that no challenges should be faced alone.