Salty and Sweet

Dealing with a disease that takes so much from you is impossible for some to understand unless you are in their shoes. While growing up my parents tried their hardest to protect me from childhood ills. Trying to keep my lungs in the best possible condition. This caused me to miss out on a lot of things in life. It is so hard for others to understand what it is like to live without.

Growing up I attended CF camp every summer, two weeks out of the year where I could feel like a “normal” child. Running, playing, doing meds together, sitting in a conga line while someone pounded on your back to free the sticky mucus from your lungs. It was the only time where I felt completely accepted and “normal”.

The discoveries of B. Cepatia bacteria and the ease of Cystics to pass bacteria from one to each other, CF camp ended immediately. This left a very lonely world for me.

I recently met someone who understands what I go through to stay healthy, who understands what it feels like to be lonely because of CF, someone who understands me. This new person in my life makes my odd little world feel “normal” which is a very safe and wonderful feeling that I have not felt since CF camp.

This brings up the worry of “the three feet rule”. To avoid cross-contamination it is suggested all Cystics stay at least 3 feet from another. How much am I willing to chance? Where do I draw the line between happiness and health?

I am not the only one with these fears and frustrations. I found this article in the NY Times today. The Steep Price of Our Forbidden Kiss. Very well written, it is a just a little insight into the world of a Cystic in love.