We Did It!

That's right, I said we. It may have been me up on that stage, but it was the bevy of support behind me, lifting me up to get there. There really is a village behind every success, so in addition to thanking all of you, I also want to thank Charlotte at SpeakWell Partners for all of her super helpful public speaking tips. I have been overwhelmed with gratitude for every ounce of support along this journey. Truly. Madly. Deeply. Thank you! 

There was so much emotion packed into three days: panic, fear, elation, excitement, anticipation, love, appreciation, purpose, pride, and even a little sadness. 

Overall, I'm proud of our accomplishments and even more proud that I was on the first-ever all-female NACFC plenary panel (and only the second CF patient invited to sit on a plenary stage!) The honor of it all wasn't lost upon me and the feedback we received for both sessions was immensely positive.

What I spoke about wasn't rocket science, but it was something that many clinicians and researchers admitted they'd lost sight of. Numerous clinicians said they were going to take our message back to their clinics and/or labs in an effort to return care to a human level. Mission accomplished! 

It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I learned a lot about myself, helping me to grow and evolve. I am proud of myself for having the courage to face my fears and put myself out there. I'm also tremendously proud of my fellow panelists (on both panels) and the many others who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.  

Friday's Panel

The energy at NACFC was buzzing with hope and optimism and I felt lucky to be in its presence. I forged bonds with some amazing people and felt inspired by complete strangers. 

I felt the love from my family and friends surrounding me like an invisible cape, propelling me forward like a superhero. I felt the comfort of my nearest & dearest talking me off the ledge of self-doubt, and the joy of sharing this experience with my husband and son. To see them in both front rows beaming with pride and cheering me on was a gift I'll never forget. All the work that lead up to this conference wasn't just my sacrifice, it was theirs too, and I love them with all of my heart and soul. 

Physically I was the CF adult up on those panels, but I wasn’t the only one. In my heart, I was carrying the spirits of those in the community who were gone far too soon. I've lost some CF friends as young as 21-years-old -- before they even had the chance to advocate. So the mere fact that I've been given the gift of time means I owe it to them to carry their torches and work in service of their memories. 

For more than a decade, I've carried an angel around in my wallet to remind me of this and at NACFC I pinned my angel (the same angel I pinned to my wedding bouquet 11 years ago) under my clothes to keep their spirits close and speak in their honors. 

I also made sure to wear something of my beloved Myrna's to feel her spirit. I know she would've been so excited for me. 

If you weren’t able to watch Saturday’s plenary, here are my clips (courtesy of my husband) along with some photos of our adventures. We went. We took it all in. And, as Myles said, we "rocked it!"

Part 1 (video)

Closing (video)

Some of my fellow CFF Champions

Plenary panelists

Flossing lessons :)

That's a wrap!