I was diagnosed at three months old with Cystic Fibrosis. Before I had even learned to crawl, I was given a death sentence. The doctors put an expiration date on my life—not because they were cruel, but because in the early 1980s, clinical science had only gone so far. On paper, I was a case file with a predictable, tragic ending. But science isn't static, and neither is the human spirit. I didn't just outlive those original projections; I became the Architect of my own surv

Dealing with a chronic, invisible illness brings a unique set of challenges. Perhaps the most frustrating is the moment your lab results don't match how you actually feel. I have spent a lifetime in sterile exam rooms, ERs, and operating rooms. I know exactly what it’s like to wait for hours, only to have a doctor say, "Everything looks good on paper," while your physical self feels incapable of living the life you want. You’re told a procedure was a success and you "should"