You can not know someone through a relationship built from texts. Through messaging. From being friends on social media. You need to meet them. Hear their voice. Talk to them. This was my quest last week when I set out on a travel.

There were three fellow folks with Cystic Fibrosis who I wanted to meet. They are Warriors. I had known all three in one way or another for several years via Facebook. Facebook was not enough. I had to sit face to face with them over a lunch to hear their stories. And I did.

Smoothies are one of my go-to foods for breakfast. They were also a way for me to get in extra calories when I was struggling to gain/maintain weight. Sometimes, drinking calories is a lot easier than eating them.

Balancing smoothies out with less fruit,  plus more protein and added fats will provide more long lasting energy than your typical smoothie made with lots of fruit and juice.

Have you ever wondered if faith and science can coexist? I have. My six-year-old daughter lives with cystic fibrosis, and from the moment I learned of her diagnosis, I have believed whole-heartedly in the power of both faith and science to shape my daughter’s future and my own outlook on her life.

Every evening, I hold my daughter’s hand and pray with her as she lies in her bed. Our final verse is always the same. “Please watch over my baby. May she be healthy, happy, safe, and strong. I am so proud of her, and I am so glad that You gave her to me.”

The holy trinity of my CF survival to reach 48 with my original lungs has been unstinting commitment to my medication, regular exercise and the power of the mind.

The latter part of this ‘power of three’ has been a slow burner over the last 10 years since I was diagnosed with CF-related diabetes. Up till my late thirties, I hadn’t appreciated how helpful my mindset and being more present were to my ongoing survival.