Love To Breathe Award 2017

I had the honor of presenting the Love To Breathe Award at the annual Adding Tomorrows meeting. The Love To Breathe Award was established in 2007 making this year the 10th anniversary which was pretty incredible. 

The award is given to:
•someone who is passionate about Cystic Fibrosis
•someone who is out in the community raising awareness and making a difference
•someone who is known in the CF community
•someone who has the ultimate goal to make CF stand for CURE FOUND

This years Love To Breathe Award recipient was Kathleen Richards!! She lives and breathes all these qualifications. To know her is to love her. I had the pleasure of presenting with her at NACFC this last November about mentoring, little did she know she's always been a mentor to me. 

I first met Kathleen when I was 12, she has put up with me for so many years not to mention my teenage years that alone deserves an award. She has taught me all my airway clearance techniques and was the reason I came up with my own technique which I call "Somer Genics" She loves mucus and to this day she still gets so excited when I call the mucus hotline. I'm so honored and lucky to have her as a friend. 

Kathleen thank you for all you did for me and for all you do for my lil CF kiddos. You have taught us all how to breathe deep, BLAST it out, and to always keep on going! Taking this pic with these cardboard heroes seemed fitting since you're a real life hero to so many!! This award was long overdue and so well deserved. Breathe out Love! Xo❤

Surviving Is My Reality

"And so she breathed through her life as if it were a battlefield and wished that one day she would actually live, and not just survive."


This quote is so fitting. CF is my battlefield I will tell you that surviving this battlefield is no easy feat! Today my CF apt was loooonnnggg and a lil bit draining to say the least. My mind is always on overload after appointments like today. I truly am in awe and so very grateful for this body of mine, it seriously amazes me everyday at how hard it works just to survive. 

My lungs are on a slow but steady decline. Seeing loss in lung function and facing the reality of what percentage of lung power I have left can be somewhat discouraging. However, I try not to focus on the numbers too much... it's easier said than done, but the mind can be a powerful healing tool. I have one month to turn these numbers around or I'll be joint bound. Until then I will continue to breathe through my battlefield and do everything in my power to survive because surviving is my reality and I have to be ok with that. 
Breathe out Love! Xo❤