My CF Story

It only took 23 years, but I have just passed the denial stage of my Cystic Fibrosis battle. I’m only kidding, but I wasn’t too into the education, blog reading, 5k walking side of my CF for a long time. I stuck to the belief that out of sight was out of mind. The less I did my breathing, the less I had to be sick with CF. That being said, I know I need to change my habits.  However, as you are well aware, parents, doctors and PFT results don’t always provide enough motivation.

That’s why I am writing a blog. I am not writing to brag about my great health, complain about my stomach aches or ask the world to feel sorry for me. I’m simply looking to involve myself more heavily in the social networking, educational, doing my breathing treatments side of CF. I hope that involving myself in the CF community will force me to carry the burden of accountability.

My first blog experience was with Ronnie Sharpe’s blog and boy was it eye opening! I felt like I was reading the diary I never had the courage to write. I opened a vast portal of information, shared experiences and unconventional remedies that I never knew existed. He understands the shared purpose of promoting healthy CF’ers, which leads him to openly sharing his experiences in an amazing way. So before I move any farther, thanks Ronnie and Mandi and of course, congratulations on your baby!

I was diagnosed with CF at birth and had a number of health issues. I had meconium ileius, which although I don’t completely understand, I know it’s disgusting.   I had a number of surgeries and spent the first 7 weeks in a drug infused state. 15 years and a million enzymes later and I’m your typical annoying teenager. I play tons of sports and tell everyone that my scar was the result of a shark bite.

Near the end of high school, I had my first of 10+ (lost track) bowel obstructions. They involve lots of pain killers, a tube down your nose and in my case, lots of complaining. Fortunately, I have an amazing network of family and friends, including a mother who has spent every night in the hospital next to me and a supportive girlfriend who encourages me to write, do my treatments and run half marathons.

Overall, I have calculated my total days in the hospital to be just under a half year of my life. Although hospital stays are miserable, the world is brighter when you emerge; Food tastes better, sports are more fun and your experiences force you to take time to appreciate the little things.

After two bowel obstructions in a row, I had “exploratory surgery”. This unorthodox procedure is comparable to that time you were exploring around your fridge for something that smelled bad. Seven hours later and I was as good as new. To my understanding, my intestines looked like dried up spaghetti and had to be surgically untangled. Hungry yet? Another two weeks down the drain, but I learned a lot about myself and came away with a new appreciation for loved ones. Therein lies the theme of CF life, although there may be some suffering, if you can overcome it, you become that much stronger.

Around the time of this onslaught of hospital visits, I got my nebulizer and a host of other medicines. I’ve played sports my whole life and have had very little lung trouble. Although my PFTs aren’t great, my lungs have not held me back in any aspect of life! I understand that if I’m not diligent from this point forward, I will have a hefty price to pay.

That brings me to my current spot in life. I finished college and got a job in the marketing world at a government agency. I do marketing for bicycle programs. This fortunate turn of events keeps me in shape, as it evolved into my most recent hobby of cycling. I want to use this blog to talk about the value of exercise, my ongoing experiences with CF and to ask for help and guidance along the way.

Zombies according to Wes

Are you wondering how Zombies became the new gourmet cupcake? As a zombie enthusiast myself, I’m just the man to explain this phenomena.

Let me start with the most obtrusive feature of the zombie genre, violence and gore. Much like death and taxes, this aspect of the genre is necessary, but is an element of lesser importance in a good zombie production. Personally, I don’t much care for the gore and destruction; I can’t make it through an episode of Grey’s Anatomy without shielding my eyes or leaving the room. Nevertheless, the violence and destruction creates a framework for the zombie world.

“Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” –Thucydides

We have learned that life after the zombie apocalypse is not for the faint of heart. There is no morality, altruism or sympathy. Things that we take for granted, access to fuel, running water and Seinfeld reruns are completely nonexistent.

Life’s purpose is instantly uncluttered and made simple. The complicated human emotions, friendship, empathy and forgiveness become white noise to the lure of survival.

I think that’s why the zombie genre is so appealing. Despite the perceived chaos of the zombie apocalypse, its simplicity is refreshing when compared to our own. We all think we could survive, throw morality to the wind and lead the next phase of human existence. The age old axiom says that when life’s purpose becomes realized, fulfillment can be achieved. Besides, when you’re staring down a midterm, a divorce or unemployment, a few limping monsters aren’t nearly as frightening.

Category 5

My legs are yelling at me. Though they are telepathically sent, oxygen deprived groans, I hear them loud and clear. If this is a Category 5, what is a Category 1?

Don’t worry, I get this question a lot, “Wes, what the hell are you talking about?” It’s 6:50 a.m. and I am biking up Bake Parkway to meet with coworkers for the Metrolink bike car launch.

I’m biking up a 2 mile hill that barely qualifies as a 3% grade and I’m suffering. To provide some context, Category 5 hills were invented recently by casual cyclers who wanted to quantify their weekend triumphs. Professional races only record climbs that are category 1-4. Plus, there is a “hors category”, which means beyond categorization. A 1 percent grade means a road ascends 1 meter (3.28 feet) for every 100 meters (328 feet) it advances. Beyond category climbs ascend at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) from start to finish and have an average grade of at least 7% for at least 15 miles.  

Let me translate this information for you. I am a wimp. What is my point? I love experiencing a challenge that upon completion, instantly gives you a new respect for a greater task. Ever try to bake a cake, carve something out of wood or make your own bed? Neither have I, but I bet doing those things would give you a tremendous amount of respect for people who turn these tasks into art on a daily basis.

I have thoroughly enjoyed juxtaposing cycling to everyday life. You may come to a very steep hill, filled with suffering, pain and a strong desire to quit, but rest assured that when you get to the top, the other side will propel you to exponentially faster speeds and the confirmation that the journey was worth the effort.