“Impossible.”
My favorite word of all time. Me and my family have heard
this word, or forms of it, so many times from 1990 to 2016 and it has become my
absolute term of choice. Why? BECAUSE IT IS SO MOTIVATING.
Like many of my other 20-something CFers, our parents were
given the news that we would not make it past middle school. We would be in the
hospital every three months for inpatient stays and IV antibiotics. Our lives
would be cut short, so get ready, prepare yourself, and absorb this as best you
can. It would be “impossible” that we would make it to our prom, drive our
first car, and take our first steps onto a college campus.
But here we are, many of us still fighting, and guess what
else? We’re THRIVING.
Many of us went on to be doctors:
Moms:
Role models for our Foundation:
and what’s even better? We exceed the current average of
life expectancy of 40 years old:
When I started my journey as a physical therapy student, I
started my first day of gross anatomy with such excitement, ambition, and hope.
Within the first two weeks, however, I went from a happy little camper with her
NorthFace backpack and scrubs to a crying hot mess. With only 8 weeks, an hour
commute each way, and full 8a-5pm days in the lab, there was no way I was going
to do this. I had failed almost every exam up until the halfway mark. I even
cut back on treatments and was running sparingly (caution: don’t do this). I broke down to my family and admitted that
maybe this was a mistake, maybe I did not get into PT school the first round
because I was not meant to be here. Maybe I could not balance this courseload
with treatments and a full nights sleep. Maybe it was truly “impossible.”
In that moment that I said that word out loud, something
just did not feel right. Besides the fact that I was failing, I also felt like
I had lost that energy that burned inside my heart when I heard the word
“impossible.” My hope was dwindling, my fire was dying, and I wanted it back. I
needed it back. And I would get it back.
Throughout the next few weeks, I found a way to somehow make it all work. Just
made the ‘B’! I left in the middle of July knowing that I could conquer almost
anything. Although there were definitely three more years of anxiety and tears
ahead, I never looked at myself the same way again. I always moved forward with
a consistency, knowing that when it came down to it, impossible is just a word,
made up by somebody who never tried to find another route to conquer a problem.
There is always an answer, we just have to fight to find it. With that fight
comes hope and this intangible feeling is a concept no one and nothing can take
away from you unless you allow it to.
After studying since February 2016 and three years of our
doctorate program, July 26, 2016 at 11pm I passed the National Physical Therapy
Examination. The final piece of this journey reminds me that the word
“impossible” is what started it all. Astounding how such a negative word can turn
you into the most positive person. I have my family and my fellow CFers to
thank for the fire inside my heart. Without them, I would not only be without a
degree but I would also not be here today. As Elle Woods famously said:
So, now that I have no studying to do, what will I do to
fill the time? In less than a week, I will be riding 20 miles to conquer CF in
the CF Cycle for Life. I am riding for a cure and cannot wait to be able to
participate in an event that can help so many people. Your support in any way is invaluable whether
it be donations, prayers, or fingers crossed! By riding miles, we’re adding
years to the lives we love, so lets keep it moving!
Thank you all for
your support so far. I am extremely fortunate to have the CF population and
families in my corner when it comes to conquering this crazy disease—thank yous
never seem like enough! Let’s keep breathing and beating towards a cure, one mile at a time!
B&B,
Meghan
