Hi!
I could start this out by saying I have CF, but there is so much more to me
than having a progressive genetic illness. I am not simply a diagnosis.
Limiting myself to one phrase would be egregious, and a blow to my
ego, haha.
I used to define myself by my professional career. For five years, I worked at the same company, the parent company of Monster.com, the top online career site. My most recent position was Global Business Analyst for Employer Products. Such a long title, I never had business cards. I loved my work, though it was very demanding. I worked with people all over the word, creating and implementing products for consumers and businesses. I rarely put in less than a 10-hour day. Many weeks I logged 60+ hours. My job WAS me.
In college, I was the all-around super achiever. I was an editor of my school paper, president of my Sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma, homecoming queen, member of the student government, recipient of several merit and scholarship awards, and graduated cum laude.
In high school, I performed in musicals, both locally and professionally. I took singing, acting and dance lessons to work on technique, but I pretty much just had it in me. I was a ham. My days in school were balanced by rehearsals at night. Some weekends, I had 5 shows to perform. And I still participated on student activities on afternoons, had a boyfriend, and a group of great friends with whom I was in the honors program.
But who am I now? I am a 31-year old married woman who just celebrated five years with my fabulous husband, Ken, and has an adorable cat and lovebird, and a huge extended family. I ran the Olympic torch last December in Massachusetts; the .5-mile run was the longest I ever ran (because I am a horrible runner). It was an exhilarating day, culminating with meeting the then-chair of the US Olympic Committee and now governor, Mitt Romney. I also make handmade bead jewelry for relaxation and gifts. What began as a hobby has become a huge creative outlet – very important for balancing my daily activities that had become pretty technically oriented. Lastly, I moderate a chat on iVillage.com weekly, for people to come in and talk about living with CF. I wrote a letter to iVillage with my idea, and for the past 5 months, I have been volunteering an hour a week to bringing people together.
The Cystic Fibrosis CHAT is at 8 pm (ET) on Tuesdays.
http://www.ivillage.com/ivillage/chat/singlechat/0,1704,501020,00.html
Oh yes, and I have CF. I recently went on disability for recurrent infections and declines in my PFTs. This year was perhaps my worst. The one good thing that has come out of being so sick is my newfound appreciation for the relative good health I have had. Even if I have one good day a week, you can bet that on that day I pack everything in that time allows. I can go on and on about the medications, hospitalizations, and treatments, but truthfully, I hate all of that stuff. I’d rather talk about the cool stuff that makes me who I am. Of course, CF is very much a part of me; it’s my other half…the bad twin that we have to keep in line.
Toni