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Alani Young // Xenia, OH // Age: 10
Cheerleading helps me with lung clearance and it keeps me from thinking about the negative parts of my CF. I love cheerleading because it makes me feel normal. I typically do cheerleading with my sisters, they have CF too. I love going to the competitions.
Photo: Cheerleading- standing at the beginning of a dance routine. |
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Aleeya Young // Xenia, OH // Age: 10
My favorite activity is cheerleading because I like the dancing and I like the competitions. This activity helps me keep me active because we are always moving. It helps me mentally because I feel like a normal kid because I can do everything that everybody else is doing. I have been cheerleading for five years. It helps my lungs and I get to travel to different places and see a lot of different teams. I like to do a lot of tumbling and stunts. I have learned a lot of different things like good sportsmanship, and supporting everyone. I love when we are done competing and everyone is yelling and cheering for us. I love all our friends and families reactions when we are done performing!
Photo: Cheerleading- standing at the beginning of a dance routine. |
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Adrianna Scott // Xenia, OH // Age: 13
I really like cheerleading, it’s very important to me. It gives me a chance to meet new friends. I have been cheering for four years. I love the tumbling we do and the competitions I get to go to. It helps me physically because it helps me keep my lung function up and it helps maintain my weight. Mentally it helps me because when I am cheering I feel just like everybody else and that feels good.
Photo: Cheerleading- standing during a tumbling sequence. |
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Leslie Need // Anchorage, AK // Age: 28
I love to run! I started running competitively in middle school and continued through high school running 9 months out of the year. Running was, and is, a great tool for me to stay physically fit. I can tell when I have been out of sync with my running because my PFT’s will inevitably decrease. Similarly, I find great personal satisfaction in boosting my health through the simple act of running. It allows me to de-stress from work and life and to clear my head and re-center myself. It gives me a sense of control over my health, something that should not be undervalued for people living with CF. Sometimes in life hard work does pay off! There is something about the way I can mark my progress as I become stronger and more physically fit that gives me personal satisfaction. I’ve enjoyed the successes of good health and a happy life through hard work. Setting goals gives me a tangible read on my health and ensures that I maintain my PFT’s and nutrition needed to extend my life and combat the progression of my disease.
Photo: 2001- After completing my first marathon. |
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Shannon Goodnight // Aurora, CO // Age: 17
Doing yoga helps me feel calm and relaxed. I even use it when I go to sleep and when I am feeling stressed out. I believe that by doing more yoga my FEV-1 will get better and I will get physically stronger. It will improve my overall life to have my lungs and body strong and stable.
Photo: Doing yoga poses at my house. |
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Preston Thayer // Couderay, WI // Age: 22
I feel best when I exercise regularly. I love to play basketball because it makes me feel good about myself, and my health is always improves when I play regularly. It makes me feel normal and when I feel like that I don’t have to think about my CF. Playing basketball gets my body in really good condition and makes my lungs much healthier.
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Amber McKee // Muskegon, MI // Age: 20
Trying to live actively with Cystic Fibrosis is a major challenge, but I’m up for it. My favorite way to stay active is through swimming. Growing up both my Grandma’s had swimming pools and I spent a lot of my time there. Swimming helps me physically to keep my lungs clear and mentally because when I’m swimming I forget I am doing physical work because it is relaxing to me. Having the ability to stay active all year long would allow me the freedom and ability to take a new stand against Cystic Fibrosis by attacking it from the outside with physical fitness!
Photo: 1997- Swimming at my grandma’s house, a typical summer day. |
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