As the sun set on 2018, I reflected on what a good year it had been. I was in good health for the year with no hospitalizations. Here I am at seventy-two (72) years old and maintaining my active lifestyle: swimming laps, golfing, regular walking and yoga. It is not always easy to be compliant with daily treatments for CF but I am consistent and I am still here. I have had the benefit of Vertex, Kalydeco (Ivacaftor) for three years and what a difference it has made.

It’s December 23rd, and I’m watching the Christmas lights twinkle on the tree.  We were going to get a real one until we remembered last year’s adventure, what with the tree nearly careening off the car into oncoming traffic four or fifteen times.  No, this year, we went with the old standby.  An artificial beauty that was efficiently pre-lit until the cat scaled the tree and gnawed every cord.  Still she stands, elegantly hoisting the dainty pre-kids ceramic ornaments just out of grabbing distance.  Her lower extremities hang low with hand-made treasures from our eight-year-old son and fiv

In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. – Anne Frank.

The other day, my five-year-old daughter and I found ourselves doing the pitty-pats, of all things. She was in day one of a nasty respiratory infection and said that the pressure of the vest was hurting her. So I fished out the old pastel pink and blue percussors from her memory box and brought them down to the couch. For the next fifteen minutes, I gently tapped on my daughter’s coughing body as I told her stories of the pitty-pat days gone by.