November 16, 2015 · 99 Comments

Life with Cystic Fibrosis

Life with Cystic Fibrosis: A look into my life and my struggle with Cystic Fibrosis.

I am beyond blessed and honored that you are reading my blog. My first year blogging was a whirlwind. I jumped in knowing NOTHING!! But I am so glad that I took the leap of faith and stepped into a scary new venture.

You see my life is in the midst of change. Major change. Monumental Change. It is scary, exciting, and overwhelming all at once.

Today, I want to share with you, my precious readers, what had been going on in my life–a glimpse to help you get to know me better and to tell you that you reading my blog and supporting me, means more to me now then ever before.

A Huge Move

On Mother’s Day 2015, I found myself in a new city, 4 hours from my current home, looking for a new house. This was not on a whim, this was after over a year of praying for direction for my husband’s job. He had a great job and worked for a great boss. But we had a feeling change was going to happen. We were right. After months of intense praying, we knew that my husband was not suppose to stay here in Atlanta, he was to take a step outside his comfort zone and move our family to Charlotte, North Carolina.

He was not scared of the job–still with the great company he has worked for and he is good at what he does, but he was more scared to move his family. We moved from Ohio to Atlanta nearly 10 years ago, and we were beyond blessed with fabulous friends, doctors, a school we loved, and a great church. That is A LOT to leave!!

But when God placed it on both our hearts to move, we knew we had to listen. So that is how we found ourselves in Charlotte on Mother’s Day Weekend. It wasn’t how I planned my day, but so awesome to find my dream kitchen in the school district we desired for our children. Less than a month later, we put a for sale sign in our yard. It was at that exact moment, our lives changed drastically!!

Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infection

As our realtor was putting the for sale sign in our yard, I received news that I was growing a lung infection specific to people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I was told that the doctors NEVER thought I would get this type of infection, that my form of CF was only effecting my digestive system. I was in a state of shock. I am not sure what I said or did when the realtor came back into the house after placing the sign in the yard. I don’t remember much of anything, but thinking, How could this happen? Are my kids okay? Do they have the infection? Why do we have to move now?

What happened in the next week was way too much to account for in this blog post. My house sold and my diagnosis of CRMS was changed to CF. I was put on antibiotics that made my body revolt. I went from feeling fine to feeling miserable as my body began to wage war on the infection. I started breathing treatments and lung clearing exercises that I was told in the past were unnecessary, but now needed to preserve my lung function and prolong my life.

Miracles

However, so many glimpses of God and miracles were seen during those weeks and now as we we settle into our new home. My children are at a school that has had staff with CF children in the past, so understands and is treating my babies with such great care AND we have found a pediatrician who is a mom to 2 CF kids herself. I have chills as I type that–what an amazing connection and blessing for this CF mom with 2 CF kids! We have made great friends, been welcomed into a wonderful church, and have found amazing specialists. Plus we just feel at HOME.

A Mind “Full” Mom Readers

But one thing I want to personally thank you for is supporting me through this blog. You see, I LOVE this! I find peace and comfort in the kitchen and sharing it with others makes me simply giddy. I can do this from home. I can put my health first and still be Mom to my children, whose lives are changing as well–they now need daily treatments, they are watching Mom cough for hours each day, and they have just moved out of state and started a new school and in the process of making new friends–that is quite a lot for young kids to take on all at once. But I can do something I love without jeopardizing my health.

So thank you. I am beyond grateful.

I can’t wait to see what my journey in Charlotte holds in store for not just my family, but for my new kitchen that I plan on sharing with you all!Here is the new kitchen–one lucky girl!!

Becoming Diamonds

On a final note, I wanted to share with you some inspiration from my 10 year old son. The day we were reeling from the news of my diagnosis, I found my son in his room seeking comfort in his Bible (be still my heart!). He looked up and said to me, {Psalm 66:10-12:} “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” This is a lot, but we are gonna be diamonds, Mom.

I am crying just typing that. He is so right–if we let God steer us and we are faithful, he will will turn us into diamonds. And wouldn’t you know it, I was given a gift of a diamond necklace from dear friends’ shortly after that comment, as inspiration to keep fighting. I hold that diamond in my hand when things get a bit overwhelming and I know that God has me and my family in his hands no matter how rough things get.

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Kristen Chidsey

Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

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