Three years ago today I received a kidney transplant after enduring 8 months of dialysis. Next month on the Dec. 12th I will celebrate my 10 year anniversary for my double lung transplant. I have Cystic Fibrois and was told I would be lucky to make it to 20 years old. In the late 50, early 60’s little was known about CF and the majority Of CF patients died very young, children. I lost my elder sister of 11 months at the age of 16, real smack of reality For my family.

I rebelled and did everything and anything until I was 24 when I realized that just maybe there was hope. I have some stories from those rebellious years that would make the hair stand up on your neck. Some are so unbelievable that I have a hard time believing them myself.

I decided I was not going to let this disease ruin my life. I started exercising and eating healtheir and taking life seriously. New medicine and bi-yearly 14 day stays at Mass General in Boston was a big part of my survival. I would spend the 14 days getting two doses of IV antibiotics Every 8 hours and go home feeling much better. Over the next 6 months you would notice the shortness of breath slowly creep back as the bacteria was doing its best destroying your lung tissue And then it was time to go back into the hospital for your IV antibiotics.