Babysteps

One day at a Time: 

So I can finally say I'm not sick anymore (yay!!), I've been feeling better each day. So I was super happy I got to keep this weekend's plans (even though it was a simpler weekend than last one). I was very bummed I had to cancel my 30th Birthday party & Easter Plans, but that's part of CF. You never know when you will get sick. (if you have no clue what I'm talking about read this past post)

I'm pretty sure I've spent every single holiday in the hospital at some point. Easter (twice), my Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, Valentines Day... Hmmmm. Maybe I've never been in the hospital during Thanksgiving. But it's just part of having CF, you can't help when you get sick.  I'm sooo glad I started feeling better this week!

Because yesterday was the Dekalb Great Strides Walk! This is one of the 6 walks my team does throughout the year. Why do more than 1? Because not all my family & friends live near one location, so I try to attend them in the cities where majority of my friends live. However, DeKalb is near where I live and even though not many of my friends live here, I thought it would be silly to live so close to a walk and not participate!

My friend Sarah drove up for it, so we did it together. We enjoyed seeing all the raffle prizes, listening to music, and chatting. I had to stop walking after a while, because my lungs started hurting and I was beyond out of breath. It was disappointing not to be able to do the whole walk, but It was still a great day & fun event I even got to run into my friend Colleen (w CF). We actually met through blogging and now we run into each other at Illinois CF events!! We didn't take a ton of photos, considering it was just Sarah and I (we take more at the walk sites, where we have a bigger team).  But here we are Rockin our Team shirts! 

We raised $145 for the Dekalb Walk. Our Team had a few people walk at the Albuquerque, NM walk too (and that one raised another $50). Which means so far in 2015 we raised $195 (plus $1,000 online for other walks).  I'm hoping & anticipating having over 75-100 team members at the Princeton Walk and our year goal is $10,000!!!! Which should be attainable considering how many walks we do!

Sarah's done quite a few of the Great Strides Walks ( I think 7 total). She was my thankful #TBT person this week, I post a new Thankful #TBT (throw back pic) every thursday on my CF Facebook page.

Another reason I chose Sarah as my person of Thanks this last Thursday is because she helped me train in 2012. I was struggling to keep my lungs in the 50s (hoovering between 48%-52%) and Doc B talked about exercising & all the benefits.So I set out to do a 5K in August.  I started training in May. It started off slow, just walking a few blocks. It takes me a really long time to build up my lungs and leg muscles to get even be able to walk a mile, let alone a 5K.
Sarah did this with me though, she'd come over after work and every other day & we would walk. We'd go fartther & farther each day. Finally we added in bits of jogging, then jogged longer and longer. I still can't jog a mile straight, but I finished the 5K that fall (a walk/jogging time of 42:17 (which wasn't last place) in my division. To read about the day of the 5K (check it out HERE).

I want to be where I was health wise at that point and I KNOW I need to work at it again. It's gonna be harder where I currently live ( not having anyone to walk with). But Sarah & I may chat via phone while walking. Then I'll have to rely on my Ipod nano for the jogging.

We will see how it goes, its like starting over. Each time I get sick my muscles tighten up a lot (with my Cerebral Palsy, if I don't stretch or move around a lot they tighten up). So when I'm sick I get set back. I lost 6% lung function last week from that virus I had for little over a week.

But I'm going to do it! I made a promise to myself and to Laura that I would keep it up. She was very proud of my exercising and thrilled I was doing the best I have ever been healthwise that summer. So I will do this!

Laura would of turned 34 on April 10th. I loved having my birthday close to hers. She always sent me a card and I used to send her lil care packages with usually something winnie-the-pooh, or kitty-cat related, a nail polish, or our favorite candy (good n plentys). On the 10th, Andrew brought me home flowers & I even ate good n plentys while we watched a movie that night. I love taking the time to remember her, she should always be remembered. I miss her and whenever I'm sick or something happens medically I still want to call her and talk. (to read the promise I made her & her inspiration click here)

I know I'm not alone, Andrew is simply the most amazing person (and future husband), my family and friends are sooo supportive. But that doesn't make me miss her any less.  She is still in my heart pushing me to do better. She'd remind me of how I want to marry Andrew and have a family someday, that I can do anything I can, cuz I'm simply amazing ( those were her words, not mine).

I think getting back to doing 5Ks is a great goal and way to get my health at the highest point again! I'm not okay with how I am now, getting tired and taking breaks while grocery shopping. So wish me luck and please help me stay committed to this.

I'm hopefully going to be able to walk the entire 5K at the Great Strides CF Champaign walk next weekend ( please consider donating to my goal).

 I'd love to reach $100! :-) If I reach $100 I promise to walk each day this week & do the entire walk on Saturday!!!! 
Donate here: Champaign Great Strides CF Page 

Oh and I will be rocking these at the CF events this year .....
Pic: Purple Cure Ribbon Earrings 

I'll be blogging about how my couch to 5K (cf style) is going in a few days. Thanks for your help!