STORY.

The following information details my life and the troubles that I have endured in the past with regards to coming to terms with the severity of my illness. I also look ahead as I plan for a bright future in my chosen career. The content may be interest to parents of children with CF who may be interested to learn about what to expect what managing the illness. Young CF patients may also benefit from the information as my experiences may help to ease your personal concerns.

Throughout my life I have had to cope with Cystic Fibrosis, there have been many difficult times and I have had to make tough decisions. There are many others in the same situation as me. Being a teenager with CF is hard, you have to cope with taking time off school, considering the impact your illness has on your family, and your social life with your friends.

Born ay St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, my parents had already been informed that I had Cystic Fibrosis before I was born, so they were prepared for what they were likely to face. I underwent an operation after I was born to treat me for a Meconium illness. For the first three years of my life I had a several hospital admissions due to chest infections.

I received occasional Intravenous Antibiotics administered through the form of a 'long line' into my arm, which caused significant and prolonged distress during the insertion of the line. After a singular emotional and painful experience of having IV's in this way I simply refused to endure the same level of physical pain and so upon being given opportunity to have a Portacath inserted into my chest, I accepted and approved the minor operation.

My Portacath was fitted in August 2001 and it is continuing to serve me well even now, ten years on. It has made IV treatment much easier, as it is one small needle inserted to a rubber bung under my skin. My Mum received the required training when my Portacath was fitted to allow here to administered the antibiotics at home, thus removing the need to endure a two week spell in hospital. It is now my intention to begin the process of learning how administer IV's to ease the reliance upon my Mum.

Education has proven to be somewhat of a turbulent time in my life as I have not always been able to manage the pressure of studying with the relentless daily treatment routine. A successful set of GCSE results allowed me to complete my A Levels and I have completed my application for University with a view to enrolling in September 2011 on a Journalism course.

Up until the summer of 2010 I had treated at Booth Hall Children's hospital and upon the completion of Europe's largest Children's hospital I was transferred to the new facility where I received all medial attention for a year before moving to the Adult Unit which is located in much closer proximity to where I currently live in Manchester.

I have been very fortunate that my health has not deteriorated significantly over the past decade, so much so that I have not required an inpatients stay for nearly ten years, which is something I am quite proud of because I certainly do not hold fond memories of a hospital ward.

School can be difficult at the best of times, but when you have to cope with the pressure of completing work and ensuring you do not make yourself unwell because of stress, it can become overwhelming.

My school life took a dramatic turn for the worst in 2007 when the reality of Cystic Fibrosis coupled with rising pressure at school resulted in me taking long spells out of education. At that point I could not see any escape from this horrendous point in my life whereby nobody quite understood what I was going through. I was suffering with illness and mild depression whilst battling my issues that saw me miss the majority of the school calender. It was such a difficult time in my life that even know I struggle to think about because of how the situation escalated seemingly beyond my control.

After numerous sessions with a psychologist I finally began to make progress towards returning to school to complete my G.C.S.E's and whilst it was daunting I knew I had to endure the difficult times to avoid any repeat of the situation. I had an eventful few years at secondary school and my time there was filled with regret. Nevertheless I remained and upon collecting positive results in my GCSE's I was able to further my knowledge through A Levels of which I have now completed and are awaiting the results.

EDUCATION

When thinking about the future, it is difficult to imagine a life that is not dictated by Cystic Fibrosis, it can be tempting to abandon your hopes and ambitions as CF is seemingly destined to determine your life. However the future is something that has to be looked upon as bright, especially given the advancement made in attempting to pursue a cure for CF.

I personally have managed to overcome most of my anxieties. On the whole I look forward to what my future holds, I know that if I want to pursue something, then I can. I have completed my A Level examinations and it is my intention to enroll on a Journalism course at a local University. Due to the fierce competition for University placements I have been required to show particular skills and a willingness to succeed on my chosen course. This Living with CF website has been of a great help as it highlights my desire to work towards a career of a journalistic nature.

My reservations regarding University stem from my reluctant commit myself to another three years of full time education, but with so few opportunities available I simply can't afford to not go to University because there is no guarantee that I will find employment.

FUTURE

Given that I am intensely private about my Cystic Fibrosis I have become a much more introverted character and socialising with friends isn't something that I particularly enjoy. I suffer with low confidence and self esteem and Cystic Fibrosis can at times intensify. Anxiety has been a constant in my life and has been an issue that I have attempted to resolve with my psychologist in the past. In recent months I have been struggling with a low level of generalised anxiety throughout the day and it is proving tough to overcome and my reservations regarding University are only serving to heighten my worries about how I will fair in social environments.

I regret not being more open about my illness because it restricted me from friends discovering my real personality, I spent so much time ensuring CF was kept a secret that I could not strike up any real friendships because I was so reserved. I don't doubt that my social fears are as a result of my withdrawn nature, but CF has prevented me from overcoming the problem and I have to hope that in the coming months I can work towards resolving my anxieties.

SOCIAL