We each have our own issues that seem to demand all of our emotional energy, in the form of stress. Adulthood was not accurately described– it is not fun at all. We all have our own unique set of struggles that we face. Financial strain, marital conflict, family tensions, grieving, job insecurity, doubts in our faith, confused about our purpose… Whatever hits our lives seems to grab our attention. Sometimes, it walks away with all of our attention. I suggest we take moments to intentionally redirect our stress. And this new direction could be towards others and their world of problems. Now, there are so many possibilities– so many individuals and groups who are facing problems. In honor of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, let me share with you what some people stress about daily.
Others-Centered Health
Normally, when I talk about fitness, I’m focus on helping people with their own health. But, there is much that we take for granted. “I gained half an inch around my waist!”, yes, but there are some people who have struggled with obesity their entire life. There are people whose problems take a moment to process. I have a friend who is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. She began to give me updates on what she was facing, and I had to stop the other things I was doing and give myself a chance to digest everything. These were just the recent updates. My life is not perfect, but my life is so far removed from her every day problems. And I think it did my heart good.
Basics of Cystic Fibrosis
So what is cystic fibrosis? To be honest, I googled it the same day I met my friend. The bare bones is that CF affects the glands responsible for producing sweat and mucus, resulting in mucus becoming thick and sweaty. While this sounds like an underwhelming problem, the complications have effected her entire life. Mucus buildup can block the airways in the lungs, can cause bacteria buildup in the lungs (resulting in frequent infections), and prevent digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines. There is a lengthy list of other symptoms, and complications. These symptoms alone require frequent hospital visits, medications and bills.
Cystic Fibrosis Gets Overwhelming
The first conversation I had with my friend, she began to explain CF to me. She casually mentioned that people diagnosed with CF usually have a shorter life span. She had dealt with the reality of this fact her entire life and had determined to live her life as though she could die tomorrow…. or in 50 years. There are hospital visits to test her lung capacity. The hospital bills we fear, she pays in order to determine how well she can breathe. Now that I have your attention, let me share a few of those bills with you:
One hospital bill: $200,000
An antibiotic inhaler with a co-pay: $1,400
Creon (to digest food): about $30,000 a year
New medicine she’s hoping to get: $250,000 a year
Well, I had to take a breath. I could feel my blood pressure rising just hearing.
Being Overwhelmed
Now, you might be wondering how this connects to you. This seems so disconnected from your health and well-being. My point is two-fold.
Check Yo’self
It is so easy to head into the gym, struggle and then convince myself that I am the only one with these problems. But, I am not a fitness unicorn, with one-of-a-kind problems. This is not to negate our problems, but to keep it in perspective. Take a deep breath– your problems might be bad and maybe even catastrophic, but there are other with problems.
Get Involved
Health and fitness. Yes, this is something that we should all work on improving. But, I would argue that it’s also an area for advocacy. Seeing someone’s problems is great, but obviously I am NO expert in this area, but here are some ways that you and I might be able to have a positive impact:
- Take note. Man, we have to do a better job of knowing the issues that people are facing.
- Look into it. Google is literally the easiest skill to master. If you know someone has an issue of some kind, find out what they have to face.
- What you can do. This part sounds really hard, so let me help you out. First, google “what is ___?” Next, add to the Google search, “How to help people with___”.
- Do what you can. For my friend, there are additional funds she needs. I know there are so many GoFundMe profiles in circulation on Facebook and you can’t help with everyone. But, sometimes we think “I can’t help with everyone” and it translates as “I’m not going to help anyone.” Maybe, you could set aside a small budget every month or quarter to help someone else out.
So, in honor of national Cystic Fibrosis month, I hope you take the time to learn more about this issue. Or, if you don’t know anyone with CF, learn more about something that someone in your world faces.
