2007 Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to our 2007 scholarship winners! Each of the following students received $5,000 scholarships to use toward their college education.

Tim Bednar
Megan Donnelly
Christine Magee
Mary Merony
Charlotte Reardon
Amy S.

As part of the application process, each applicant was required to submit an essay. In some cases, the essays addressed what advice the applicant would give to parents of newly diagnosed children; in others, the applicant wrote about their own personal goals and challenges with CF. The following paragraphs are excerpts from their essays, used with their permission.

"Note to Parents:
Bump in the road ... pebble in the sand, life dealt you a lemon; parents jump up with both feet, brush yourself off and go to the world of hope and education. New parents of CF children must embrace the decade they are living in and adjust their lives to the new world of breathing treatments.

When puberty kicks in, try to instill in your adolescent the difficulties that will come their way: (We really do listen.)

• Peer pressure/teasing
• Enzymes that you must carry in your pocket – for junk food consumption
• Breathing treatments/nebulizers
• Smoke-filled parties
• Having your dorm room fridge filled with medications

The adorable little child you raised that did everything right to keep his/her lungs healthy is going to run into world of choices. The best hope parents have is that you have taught your CF child responsibility and tough love."

"Health care will be my vehicle to generate improvements in the current condition of others' lives. Cystic Fibrosis makes being a doctor or nurse out of the realm of possibility; but I will still have an impact. I plan to get my PhD in Public Health and focus on chronic illnesses. My impact will be to assess the quality of care in treatment centers, and to look at the outcomes of biomedical treatments such as exercise, strength training, nutrition, and studying the older population of CF patients. Life situations are different and opportunities will never be fair, but regardless of where one starts it is always possible to improve."

"The determination I have to battle cystic fibrosis is reflected on the track. The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination. This to me can be applied not only to my life with cystic fibrosis but my experience with running in high school and now at the collegiate level for Lynchburg College. My parents kept me as active as possible and I used running as my way of taking control of my health. Some days my body does not want to go and I have to take it easy. Not only do I run for Lynchburg College, I race for my life."

"MEMO to Parents just given the CF diagnosis:
CF has most definitely toughened me up. If I were to share advice I would say three things: 1. We must have hope for new treatments, 2. We can live full and fun lives, 3. And my most valuable lesson learned is that we are all strengthened through the trials we face. I have learned that it is vital to be diligent with taking medications as the long-term effect could be saving my life. It's not always fun or comfortable, but it has brought our family closer together as we learn to deal with and help each other. CF doesn't define me, however, I am who I am partly because of CF and all that I've learned through it."

"I am tired of seeing Cystic Fibrosis patients die before the age of 40. When I was first diagnosed with CF the life expectancy was 18; and now 25 years later it has doubled. My goal is to join the fight to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis by working with the CF Foundation after graduation. I want to be in the next generation of leaders to carry on the mission of improving the lives of those with this disease. I plan to be a leader using my business degree from the University of Southern California to achieve this goal. My health cannot tolerate working while attending school, and I am not relying on my parents for tuition or living expenses. I will be using the scholarship to fund my education and ultimately achieve my goal of working for the CF Foundation."

"There are two words that have a great impact on my life: EXCEL and PERSEVERE. My father gave me this advice after a few tough bouts from the effects of CF. I would give the following advice to parents:

• Don't panic, this isn't a life-ending diagnosis
• Life is getting easier for people with cystic fibrosis
• There are new developments in medicine and technology
• Life expectancy has more than doubled over the past two decades.
• Keep active through both sports and social groups
• Don't let CF prevent your child from living the life they were meant to live.
• Don't treat your CF child differently from your other children.

People with CF have to work twice as hard to breathe, but by persevering through this disease, we can live the lives we wish to live."