Walking My Way

I've been working really hard for every inch of progress and it's been paying off. I've officially evolved from a crawl to a walk, literally.

I've been walking every day (usually on my treadmill) and it's been encouraging to have a distinguishable gauge of improvement. I still need to wear oxygen while I walk but my speed and distance are slowly increasing. I'll take it! 

My lungs have been holding steady for a few weeks now (knock on wood!) and I had a great CF appointment this week--the first "healthy" appt. I've had since summer 2017! I am happy to report my PFTs were up 9% since I ended IV antibiotics, woohoo! I'm determined to bounce them up a bit more though, as it's imperative to keep the 'ole lungs in optimal shape while I can. History has proven to me these "healthy" respites don't last long.

I'm not 100% back to my baseline but I'm within reach. I just have to work on getting my strength and stamina back. This also includes working my way up to walking the CFF 5K walk-a-thon this May.

The walk is deeply personal to me because, in some ways, my life depends on it. I'm not saying that to be dramatic, it's true. I've been using the same antibiotics my whole life and the bacteria in my lungs are too smart for them. They've become resistant which means the antibiotics no longer work like they used to. This is a huge reason why it's so hard for me to stay healthy.

Like much of the adult CF community, I desperately need new antibiotics and, in the words of a CF physician, it's a race against the clock. By walking the CFF walk every May I hope to raise awareness and funding for the CF Foundation so they can in turn fund research for new life-saving medications.      

That being said, the last thing I want is for my friends to feel like they have to donate every year, you don't! But I'd be doing a disservice not to share my team's page and encourage others to join us in walking or donate. Even a $1 donation helps a great deal (#truth) but there is no pressure! 

For those interested in joining us or donating, here's the link to our team page:

Team Pia Vita 2018

It's an exciting time both for CF research and for me personally, feeling healthy and ambitious for the first time in more than six months. For the life I've been given I am eternally grateful, but it's so beautiful I can't help but want more.