*Cystic Fibrosis*
State Of Mind

I am so grateful for the amount of time God has given me – I celebrated my 20th Birthday this May. So many kids never get to see that birthday :(

I’m so thankful that I was raised to live a healthy life by doing things naturally. Today is my 1-year anniversary of NO antibiotics!!! I get asked so often how it is that I’m so healthy. People who meet me have NO idea that I have CF. My clinic appointments go smoothly & quite frankly, can be done over the phone. I am on NO medications whatsoever. My goal is to outlive any statistic. So, I take certain measures to make sure that happens.

**My CF Preventative Health Remedies**

In the last year, I have come across so many different things that help in maintaining good health & they are really simple. For example;

• * Gargling with salt water 2-3 times a week. It kills the bacterium that stays in the throat area for 3 days once exposed to. So if you do it twice a week, you’re good to go =)
• * Steam Rooms!! I typically go for a ‘steam tune up’ once or twice a month depending on how I feel. Some months I go more often…it really depends on how you’re doing. If you don't have a steam room in your area, simply boiling a pot of water & breathing over it (with a towel over your head & pot) for 15 minutes does the trick!
• * Raw Garlic =) Because of it’s Antibiotic properties, I like to have a spoon full of raw freshly pressed garlic 3-4 times per week. Keeps me off of harmful drugs that mess me up. Make sure you don’t take it on an empty tummy – not a good idea!
• * Chest Physiotherapy. Kate & I also do therapy 1-2 times per day. Keeps the lungs clear =) to make it fun, we like to watch our favorite shows/movies to keep us entertained. Works VERY well :)
• * Physical exercise. SO important! I have a treadmill that I use twice a week. I run & run … love it! Also, having small nieces & nephews keeps me on my toes :) Physical exercise helps things keep moving, therefore making it harder for infection to set in.
• * Cough Tea. While in Virginia, my sister Helene came across a wonderful cough tea. You can purchase it from Bulk Herb Store. It has red clover tops, licorice root, and ginger root… it helps loosen phlegm, calm bronchial spasm & relieves respiratory congestion. I find it’s GREAT to take before bedtime.
• * Nutritional Supplements! I think it's pretty lame that Health Canada says I’m not allowed to say which ones on a public form. So much for freedom of speech. Just because I’m still alive, and not in the hospitals 24/7 I have to keep my mouth shut as to why I’m this healthy. Just read the CF story that I blogged several posts ago to see how nutritional supplements played a role in how I'm doing. Please message me if you want to know more =)

When I think of Cystic Fibrosis, and how people embrace it, it’s really all about your state of mind. Every person on earth is dealt different cards in life. Some are good, some not so good. There’s a saying that goes “it’s not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the game”. There is so much truth to that.Sure, I can choose to play the game of the victim. Technically I have an excuse to pin it on – Cystic Fibrosis. I can choose to be depressed in life, or angry with God because I was born with CF. People make decisions every day of their lives. They choose whether or not to wear a red or blue shirt – whether or not to skip breakfast – whether or not to take the stairs vs the elevator. They're tiny little decisions, but yet somehow they form our lives. Our whole world revolves around the choices we make.Every single day I make a choice when I wake up. What will others see in me for the day? Will they see a victim of circumstance or a cheerful fighter? Will they see a happy go lucky girl, or a moody girl? I’m not saying that everyday is a basket of roses, and that CF doesn’t affect me, because it does. Some days…I’ll be honest, they suck. Completely. I’m down & ill and I feel like I’ve been pushed down a dark staircase. All I want to do is fight my way back up where I can see the light, and feel the freedom that comes with a healthy day. Thankfully there are more good days, then bad days. Praise the Lord!!!

So regardless of who you are, or what issues you face, whether it’s CF or something totally different, just know that YOU have the power to overcome any obstacle. Based on the little choices you make everyday. The choice to smile. The choice to never back down. The choice to fight. Fight for what’s right, never believe something just because a so-called wise person said it . Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. Raise up others around you – be that shinning light that God wants to use. He created you for a reason.

Here's a little tip I thought I'd share with you - if a long life is something you want, then please, whenever possible, AVOID the hospital. Hospital acquired infections is the 4th largest killer in Canada & United States ... uncool.

Quote of the day "God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest."

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