Wow, Mind Blowing!
Wow, I looked at my Blog and my Blog's Facebook Awareness Page and couldn't believe my eyes! My blog has over 130,000 views on it and the Facebook page is close to 500 likes! I just can't believe this many people are following my story & the CF Community's Mission to Cure CF!
It's great to see so many people want to learn and get involved. I've met people on twitter and social media platforms I have never met in real life (and who I may add have no personal connection to CF, but still donate & even attend Great Strides Walks where they live). It's unbelievable the love and support people can give! I'm just so happy and never could of imagined this when I wrote my first blog post...
And in honor of that let's take a happy trip down memory lane, seeing big events that have been recorded in the blog, including some of my best posts! Also, it's interesting to see how much CF has affected my life just in these past 4 years...
(There are ton of links, so feel free to read any that interest you and skip over others. I just want to show everyone how much CF affects my life, by looking at it from the eyes of my blog.)
And to think it started with this my 1st post (which hahaha, you can tell I'm new at blogging) But, HERE it is all the same: First Blog post, Hello! in Feb 2012
Then to think a few months after I started blogging I shared some advice/experience sharing about CF and being in a Relationship...The funny part is this post is from June 2012, just 2 months before I met Andrew...I decided to add a link at the bottom of that post, linking to Andrew & I's perspective on Dating & CF (which are great reads)!!!
October 2012, My blog shared about my 1st Great Strides Walk with a TEAM!!!! This is wear my Great Strides effort really began!
Then in March of 2013, I had a crazy virus: Missed Play, 3 hospitals, and 6 mouth swabs later..."
Triple Hernia Surgery... I'm prone to hernias due to all my coughing. In June 2013 my surgeon fixed 3 at the same time. Plus, we wallked at Hollowayville, IL.
I celebrated my 150th blog post in September 2013 with sharing about The Importance of Online Peer Support in the CF Community - Also jog/walked my 1st and only 5K I have ever done that month! Whew, that was really tough. Gosh it shows my dedication and how Laura motivated me.
I started graduate school and moved to Chicago in August, but was admitted twice to the hospital that Fall semester, which left me with a hard decision about Graduate School and what my future will hold...In November 2013 I posted this update about my health, Laura's declining health, and my medical withdrawal from Graduate School. Realizing Graduate School and my social work career path wouldn't be compatible with my CF medical routine and problems. I also blogged this month about how I gain weight, including some high calorie recipes and tips, which has gotten tons of re-pins on Pinterest and the post alone has over 2,100 views, so people must like the tips.
By January of 2014, Laura was fighting for her life and needed new lungs. I posted this: Calling All Who Care! to plead for people to donate to Laura's cause and motivate her to stay healthy and push for those lungs.
Can we even afford our meds? a big topic I discussed in May 2014
After not using my G-tube for an extended period of time, in June of 2014 Doc let me get it removed! A Goodbye Gtube! BIG milestone of mine. I needed it for 17+ years of my life and was happy to say good bye to it!
Also, that month we held our FIRST CF Walk in Princeton, IL!!! Raising over $13,000 for the CF Foundation!!! Was so proud & what a huge moment for a small town!!!
All summer Laura had been in and out of hospitals and in Sepetmber 2014, I wrote the hardest blog post of my life. While it is a sad post, it THE MOST powerful post I have ever written. So please read it if you haven't. Here's 2 Girls on a Mission
In October of 2014, I had to have my stomach repaired, where the Gtube used to be: complications of having a Gtube removed after so many years...
Then in December 2014, two months after our 2 year dating anniversary, Andrew proposed!!!!
Wedding Planning from a hospital in Jan of 2015. Yep, I was admitted again. I did 2 weeks in the hospital, plus 3 more weeks at home on Ivs, plus steroids.. Plus, frustrating that I really needed the insurance to pay to fix my cayston machine & send me the med once it was fixed..
Fighting.... for months..and then in April of 2015 I got my lung function back up to 55% Whew. talk about work! So here was the post called "My Happy Dance"
In June 2015 Princeton celebrated it's 2nd Annual CF walk (this year being an OFFICIAL Great Strides Walk) raising $23,000 for the CF Foundation!
We said "I do" and became husband and wife on August 16, 2015! We also took big steps in our careers within two weeks of our wedding and moved! Andrew took a big promotion at a new opening HyVee Store and started actively working on getting my Real Estate License! BIG TIME, BIG CELEBRATIONS!
By November 2015, I started my career and wrote about Careers & CF here!
I started 2016 off sick and struggled lung function wise for awhile. I had more colon issues, at one point was practically living off ensure. In March 2016 I discussed how someone with CF was "Fragile yet Strong" . Also in March...
I got the honor for being the Guest Speaker for the Local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Branch's Award's Night. I even received an award "Outstanding Great Strides Partner 2015" Was beyond honored! Here is my blog post about that evening!
One Day at a Time. 8 days in the hospital and 8 more at home with IVs in April 2016
But finally by May 2016 (this year) I was feeling better. But it brings us to my current struggles and triumphs. One of last posts was about how I'm succeeding and failing at the same time. I need to continue to try harder!!!
This may have been a long post, with tons of links. BUT, I think it's an eye opener to how much CF controls my life. It gives me struggles, challenges, but with the work comes great rewards. Accomplishments make it worth it. Seeing CF get Cured in my lifetime is my BIGGEST dream. All the work, all the clinical trials, all the effort. I can't wait to see the greatest reward ever!!!
Please consider joining us at the Princeton Walk or donating to it: http://fightcf.cff.org/
Wow, I looked at my Blog and my Blog's Facebook Awareness Page and couldn't believe my eyes! My blog has over 130,000 views on it and the Facebook page is close to 500 likes! I just can't believe this many people are following my story & the CF Community's Mission to Cure CF!
It's great to see so many people want to learn and get involved. I've met people on twitter and social media platforms I have never met in real life (and who I may add have no personal connection to CF, but still donate & even attend Great Strides Walks where they live). It's unbelievable the love and support people can give! I'm just so happy and never could of imagined this when I wrote my first blog post...
And in honor of that let's take a happy trip down memory lane, seeing big events that have been recorded in the blog, including some of my best posts! Also, it's interesting to see how much CF has affected my life just in these past 4 years...
(There are ton of links, so feel free to read any that interest you and skip over others. I just want to show everyone how much CF affects my life, by looking at it from the eyes of my blog.)
And to think it started with this my 1st post (which hahaha, you can tell I'm new at blogging) But, HERE it is all the same: First Blog post, Hello! in Feb 2012
Then to think a few months after I started blogging I shared some advice/experience sharing about CF and being in a Relationship...The funny part is this post is from June 2012, just 2 months before I met Andrew...I decided to add a link at the bottom of that post, linking to Andrew & I's perspective on Dating & CF (which are great reads)!!!
October 2012, My blog shared about my 1st Great Strides Walk with a TEAM!!!! This is wear my Great Strides effort really began!
Then in March of 2013, I had a crazy virus: Missed Play, 3 hospitals, and 6 mouth swabs later..."
Triple Hernia Surgery... I'm prone to hernias due to all my coughing. In June 2013 my surgeon fixed 3 at the same time. Plus, we wallked at Hollowayville, IL.
I celebrated my 150th blog post in September 2013 with sharing about The Importance of Online Peer Support in the CF Community - Also jog/walked my 1st and only 5K I have ever done that month! Whew, that was really tough. Gosh it shows my dedication and how Laura motivated me.
I started graduate school and moved to Chicago in August, but was admitted twice to the hospital that Fall semester, which left me with a hard decision about Graduate School and what my future will hold...In November 2013 I posted this update about my health, Laura's declining health, and my medical withdrawal from Graduate School. Realizing Graduate School and my social work career path wouldn't be compatible with my CF medical routine and problems. I also blogged this month about how I gain weight, including some high calorie recipes and tips, which has gotten tons of re-pins on Pinterest and the post alone has over 2,100 views, so people must like the tips.
By January of 2014, Laura was fighting for her life and needed new lungs. I posted this: Calling All Who Care! to plead for people to donate to Laura's cause and motivate her to stay healthy and push for those lungs.
Can we even afford our meds? a big topic I discussed in May 2014After not using my G-tube for an extended period of time, in June of 2014 Doc let me get it removed! A Goodbye Gtube! BIG milestone of mine. I needed it for 17+ years of my life and was happy to say good bye to it!
Also, that month we held our FIRST CF Walk in Princeton, IL!!! Raising over $13,000 for the CF Foundation!!! Was so proud & what a huge moment for a small town!!!
All summer Laura had been in and out of hospitals and in Sepetmber 2014, I wrote the hardest blog post of my life. While it is a sad post, it THE MOST powerful post I have ever written. So please read it if you haven't. Here's 2 Girls on a Mission
In October of 2014, I had to have my stomach repaired, where the Gtube used to be: complications of having a Gtube removed after so many years...
Then in December 2014, two months after our 2 year dating anniversary, Andrew proposed!!!!
Wedding Planning from a hospital in Jan of 2015. Yep, I was admitted again. I did 2 weeks in the hospital, plus 3 more weeks at home on Ivs, plus steroids.. Plus, frustrating that I really needed the insurance to pay to fix my cayston machine & send me the med once it was fixed..
Fighting.... for months..and then in April of 2015 I got my lung function back up to 55% Whew. talk about work! So here was the post called "My Happy Dance"
In June 2015 Princeton celebrated it's 2nd Annual CF walk (this year being an OFFICIAL Great Strides Walk) raising $23,000 for the CF Foundation!
We said "I do" and became husband and wife on August 16, 2015! We also took big steps in our careers within two weeks of our wedding and moved! Andrew took a big promotion at a new opening HyVee Store and started actively working on getting my Real Estate License! BIG TIME, BIG CELEBRATIONS!
By November 2015, I started my career and wrote about Careers & CF here!
I started 2016 off sick and struggled lung function wise for awhile. I had more colon issues, at one point was practically living off ensure. In March 2016 I discussed how someone with CF was "Fragile yet Strong" . Also in March...I got the honor for being the Guest Speaker for the Local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Branch's Award's Night. I even received an award "Outstanding Great Strides Partner 2015" Was beyond honored! Here is my blog post about that evening!
One Day at a Time. 8 days in the hospital and 8 more at home with IVs in April 2016
But finally by May 2016 (this year) I was feeling better. But it brings us to my current struggles and triumphs. One of last posts was about how I'm succeeding and failing at the same time. I need to continue to try harder!!!
This may have been a long post, with tons of links. BUT, I think it's an eye opener to how much CF controls my life. It gives me struggles, challenges, but with the work comes great rewards. Accomplishments make it worth it. Seeing CF get Cured in my lifetime is my BIGGEST dream. All the work, all the clinical trials, all the effort. I can't wait to see the greatest reward ever!!!
Please consider joining us at the Princeton Walk or donating to it: http://fightcf.cff.org/
THANK YOU!!!
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