I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Christy and I am (so far) a life time student. I am in my fifth year of graduate school in the beautiful state of Maine. I study biopsychology and more specifically "Chemo Brain." My lab uses animal models to try to get a better understanding of what causes cognitive and memory problems in cancer survivors following chemotherapy treatment. Very cool stuff! I love learning about the biological bases of behavior and was lucky enough to find my passion in college and later to get the opportunity to attend grad school to further study and (starting this semester) even TEACH it.
Grad school can be tough for anyone, and just like most students, I have my moments when I feel bogged down, overwhelmed, and just overall want it to be done with already. The largest struggle that I deal with is the fact that I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the respiratory and digestive systems. Most of the issues I personally deal with are frequent and long lasting lung infections, difficulty digesting and getting nutrients out of what I eat, occasional problems with maintaining my weight, and Cystic Fibrosis related diabetes. Overall, these problems call for regular doctor’s visits, extra time taken out of each day for nebulizer treatments, and the occasional hospital stay- none of which are terribly conducive to the grad student lifestyle! I do my best, though, to keep up with my work and (dare I say it?) more importantly, maintaining my health.
I have recently begun to pay a bit more attention to CF geared websites and just last week signed up for a CF related social networking website (CysticLife). I really feel like getting more involved helps me to stick to my treatments much more consistently. It helps to know that there are plenty of people out there that have to make the same sacrifices to live a little healthier. One thing I have noticed in getting more socialized within the CF world is that it seems to be as common for some CFers’ careers to be taking care of themselves as it is to have a job in addition to their health responsibilities. I don’t think one is any better than the other- I can certainly see the benefit of not having to deal with the stress of grad school and I’m sure that would have a great effect on my health. On the other hand, I love what I do and I’ve spent most of my life living despite my CF, not for it. I love knowing that I can do just as much as the next person, even if I have to spend an extra 2 hours every day taking care of myself.
But it does make me wonder- how much healthier would I be if I didn’t have to worry about school and my future career; if I hadn’t spend the past 9 years getting an education rather than working normal hours and spending the rest of my day on my health? I don’t want to give up my passion for my health, but I don’t want to give up my health for my passion either. Hopefully this blog will help me, even just a little bit, to gain a little more strength and perseverance dealing with CF and school, and maybe even give others a glace into the life of a CF Cyster trying to make it through grad school and achieve her dream of becoming a PhD.
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