Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Teammates: The Waves That Push Me Forward

Teammates come in many different forms throughout life.  Most of us have some kind of teammate, whether it’s a Mom, Dad, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandmother/father, best friend, husband/wife, physicians, nurses, or even our golden retriever (my running partner). 
A teammate is:
-a person who is on the same team as someone else (Merriam Webster dictionary)
-a fellow member of a team (Oxford dictionary)
-the closest bond between two people EVER. even more then marriage. (Urban dictionary.com)
So, the last example is a little extreme, but the bond between teammates is key to living with Cystic Fibrosis. We need our teammates and they need us. We need them to:
1.     Make us laugh in some way, especially on days that we have low PFTs, off blood sugars, or stomach pains from our pancreas
2.     Teach us to be our own advocates for our health
3.     In all honesty, my teammates have reminded me that I am not the only person with an issue.  On days when I feel alone or am focusing on how I am one of only 30,000 people in the U.S. with this wacked out disease, I am reminded humbly to take a deep breath, and look around.  I’m not the only one with an issue. This fact makes me get up and do my treatments every day, twice a day, no complaints.  Everyone has something and so do I—that’s just the way it is.

They need us, as persons with CF:
1.     to teach them lessons about patience, acceptance, and staying positive.
2.     To also teach them that they are not alone.  They aren’t the only mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, etc. to a person with CF. Others struggle like them and through fundraising events like 5ks, galas, auctions, or even individual envelope stuffing, they bond with others who deal with the same stuff.  I remember when I was about 7 years old, speaking at a CF dinner event in front of 500-something people, and quite honestly, my speech was only good because I was cute;)  I remember several parents and family members of other children with CF dotting their eyes with napkins or smiling with tears down their faces. At that age I was really confused, wondering what I said to make them upset.  I simply spoke about my doctors and nurses and how wonderful they were. I later realized that they were all experiencing the same thing—the bond of hope that holds the CF community together.  They saw someone who was “healthy” with CF, a child who could talk and eat her whole meal and dance around with her best friend at the event.  The hope for a healthy future—that’s what bonds all CF teammates together.
3.     Lastly, we teach them to view the world with a broader mind.  Not only are my teammates sensitive to those with CF, but also other diseases & disorders as well.  You name it—diabetes, heart disease, cancer, alzheimers, down’s syndrome, persons who are paraplegic, autism—most if not all of my loved ones treat persons with diseases/disorders like everyone else.  It’s an amazing thing when you can teach someone how to be open-minded and to embrace others who might look, sound, or act different from them.   

In my world, my teammates come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from 11 years old to close to 80 years young.  Most recently, my team had to make a move two hours away from our home.  They did not move for a job change, a bigger house to fit more kids, or for any other typical reason for moving: they moved for me. My 3 younger siblings, my mom, and my dad turned their lives around because they want what is best for my health.  Imagine for a second all the sacrifices you give up when you make a move: changing schools, leaving best friends, leaving the comfort of your home you’ve had for years, etc. the list goes on. I felt really bad about all of this for some time—uprooting my family so we could boost some PFT numbers.  I confronted my mom about this a few times, and each response I received back was: “We are a team: any one of us would do this for each other.”  Showing love by making sacrifices—that is what a teammate is. 

In case you are wondering, we moved coastal—we are now 10 minutes from the new jersey shoreline.  The salty air has been shown to have incredible benefits for those with CF and the current research is all thanks to the Aussies.  Australian researchers have found that surfing has amazing benefits for those with cystic fibrosis. I’ll post some articles below for light reading.





Although not an avid church-goer (a “Chris-Ter” if you will), I will admit I am truly and sincerely blessed to have a great team. We are not perfect, by any means.  But the finish lines we cross together make living with CF that much easier.  They are my ocean waves that keep me moving forward through life and I would be lost at sea without them.  Thank you, team—I love you.
Keep Breathing & Beating,
Meghan










1 comment:

  1. I am so blessed to be a small part of your team, Meg, and to have you on mine!!

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