alright, to the basics:
my name is Shannon White. I am a female, age 19 attending the University of San Diego. I have a wonderful mother and father - both who i love dearly. I also have a brother, John, who is seriously becoming one of my favorite people. Here is a semi- old picture of us:
aren't we cute?!
So, I guess another thing I need to elaborate on is the fact that I do have a genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. If you are not sure what that is, I encourage you to look it up on the Web or at CFF.org for more information. (warning: the website needs to be worst-case scenario information, so if you're worried for any reason, don't be. I really have some of the best care in the world at my finger tips.)
Anyway, if you have not figured this out, THAT is the reason for me always being sick and the hospital stays and the PICC lines and everything. That is it. now you know :D
anyway, some trivial other things:
I LOVE THE BEACH AND SURFING. i love my family and my friends. i love food - yougurtland is def. laced with crack. i love to go outside and be with nature. i love all kinds of music and i have songs stuck in my head on a daily basis. I am working toward a teaching degree and hope to maybe even get a masters. :D I want to teach elementary school because i love children and i think helping future generations is a benefit to society. I am in the sorority of Alpha Delta Pi, which I am actually a legacy thanks to my grandmother. I could not have been blessed with a more wonderful family - on both sides - and i am seriously so grateful for the life that i have. I literally have a perfect life, CF is just my one fault.
why i started to blog:
well, it really all started with Emily. Emily Haager is a 26 year old adult with CF who became my mentor as i transferred from the pediatric CF center to the adult center at USC University Hospital (Go Trojans!). She was seriously - like i dont think i can convey how amazing she was into words - but seriously the most epic, awesome person I have ever talked to. I know what you are thinking: what? she was your mentor but she only talked to you? Yes. I could only speak with her via email, or facebook or skype because of our CF. Each person with CF has their own unique strain of a virus or bacteria that affects their lungs - this is what gets us sick most of the time. However, just like a normal cold, these viruses can pass from one person to the next and, as you may have figured, the less viruses the better. Its like having a really bad cold you can easily pass to one another. So, it is protocol by our doctors that all patients stay at least 6 feet away from each other. So that means, I could never talk to Emily face to face. I could not go have coffee with her, or lunch or drive in a car with her. We would not want to pass germs because we could get each other really sick. Anyway, she had a blog! and it was fascinating to get to see her world, and have her talk about her experience with CF.
However, just before she turned 27, she went into USC hospital for what most CFers call a "tune-up" to get some IV antibiotics and get her lungs back in shape. These "tune-ups" usually take about 2-3 weeks in a hospital with intense respiratory therapy and antibiotics and then its back to normal life. But this time, Emily's infection was pretty bad and the antibiotics she took to get rid of the infection had an adverse reaction. She was allergic to the medication. Not only could they not treat the virus, but they were causing inflammation and damage in her body. Soon, vital organs began to shut down and Emily began a fight for her life. She spent an entire 4 months in the hospital - a rollercoaster which had ups and downs. I followed her progress basically from the beginning. I had never checked my email so many times throughout a day, and each time I had a new update I would hope and pray she was getting better - not worse.
On May 1, 2010, Emily Haager went to a place without CF. A place where she could run, surf and finally breathe with the lungs God had cured and given her.
That was a hard time for me to say the least. Not only had I lost a mentor, a friend but I had lost her to CF.
She is why I have started writing. In my opinion, if there were anyone on this earth who deserved to live and continue to make the world a better place, it was Emily. She is my inspiration and the main reason I want to be a better person, a better CF advocate, and live every single day without regrets. Emily, I miss you so deeply and I hope you are catching barrels in heaven! Thank you so much for giving me what you have. Having you in my life was truly amazing and I will see you later! :D
anddd yeah, i'll post happier things later. but if you wanna take a look at Emily and her amazing life read her blog or look at this awesome video and you can see for yourself how amazing she was.
<3 you Emily
goodnight everyone.
xoxo Shannon
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