Let’s Talk About … Cystic Fibrosis: My Cousin Cody’s Journey with this Disease + Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
“If someone said I could wave a magic wand and not have CF, I wouldn’t want that.”
This is the first episode of its kind for The Good Stuff. Caitlin hosts a bonus episode in honor of Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month, a cause near and dear to her heart. She talked to her cousin Cody, who has lived with Cystic Fibrosis for his entire life. He was diagnosed at age 12 after many frustrating and confusing years of doctors’ visits, tests, and pain. This conversation is a chance for him to talk about CF from the perspective of someone who grew up “the sick kid,” someone who lives with this disease every day, and someone who advocates as a board member of both the local Southern California Chapter and national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Caitlin and Cody talk about his experience, the health care system, advances in CF research, and a lot more. The movement happening within the Cystic Fibrosis community is going to help the future of healthcare, for us all, forever. For example, since Cody was born in 1994, the life expectancy for someone with CF has more than doubled from 30 years to 65 years. The CF Foundation is leading the charge with a lot of exciting developments that will not only continue to help CF patients, but also people with all kinds of chronic illness. This conversation is informative, and most importantly, full of love you can only find by talking with someone you know well.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Why This Cystic Fibrosis Story Matters
06:03 — “The Word I Associate With CF Is: Resilient”
08:40 — The Story Behind “65 Roses”
10:52 — What Is Cystic Fibrosis? Explained Simply
13:37 — Fertility & CF: What Most People Don’t Know
14:48 — Surprising Cystic Fibrosis Statistics
16:40 — How Life Expectancy for CF More Than Doubled
25:09 — “I Went Through a Period of Mourning…”
28:39 — Realizing: “I Could Have a Future”
31:48 — Misdiagnosed for Years Before a CF Diagnosis
39:31 — What NOT To Say to Someone With Chronic Illness
43:10 — Why CF Patients Can’t Be Near Other CF Patients
49:49 — Healthcare, Insurance & Learning to Self-Advocate
58:06 — Dating, Marriage & Finding Love With CF
01:15:04 — Why Everyone Should Care About Cystic Fibrosis
