9 Years Ago

Hello. 9 years and 2 days ago our family's lives were changed. That was the day my wife and I found out our 14-month old daughter had more than just a bad cough. It had taken 7 months and 4 wrong medical 'guesses', so in some sense it was a relief. However, it was the worst diagnosis we could've gotten - cystic fibrosis (CF).
CF is a genetic disease. My wife and I are carriers; only 4% of the population are. Neither of us knew it. We had both passed along a bad gene during conception. There was only a 25% chance of that happening.
Our daughter looked normal, which is why even the Hospital for Sick Children CF doctors were surprised. Most CF kids are thin. My daughter had her dad's big cheeks, but the rest of her was very thin. She hadn't gained weight in 8 months. She also overheated easily, and had messy stools. Those are the classic symptoms.
CF's life-shortening. When I was born, the median survival age was 4. Now it's 37. The glass is half full and half empty. But better than completely empty.
Our lives are full. Every day I consider myself very lucky. The only way my life would be better is if I was the last one with CF. Then all the funding could go somewhere else.
More tomorrow.

Regards,
Steve