Bearing both common missense mutations ΔF508 and G551D, Briauna was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as a 10 month old baby.
As a child living and growing up with CF, Briauna struggled to gain weight in spite of a normal diet and good appetite. Her body’s poor fat and protein absorption resulted in nutrient deficiencies. For years, her doctors from Stanford Hospital in California advised Briauna to get a G-tube (gastrostomy tube placement), but she refused. Not only was she afraid, but she was worried about what physical activities could be continued as part of her lifestyle if she had the G-tube. Sports and activities were an integral part of Briauna’s life and she didn’t want to give them up.
At the age of four Briauna was introduced to the performing arts and loved dancing on stage. Aside from enjoying being active, exercise and physical activity made Briauna feel better. She continued to get involved in somatic undertakings like cheerleading, singing, hunting, hiking, and fishing. Growing up in Redding, CA afforded Briauna a very outdoorsy community in which she and her friends went tubing and wake boarding until the stars came out.
“It was instilled in me as a little girl that CF was a part of me, forever.”
Briauna’s parents taught her to always be upfront and open about her condition because it wasn’t going to go away. CF was and would always be a part of her no matter what.
Treatments were part of her daily routine and Briauna knew that she had to take extra good care of herself if she wanted to be independent and live a happy and fulfilling life, despite managing a chronic condition. With her family’s unconditional support, Briauna made a plan for her future.
Briauna wanted to be a nurse when she grew up. She truly understood the importance of “quality care” and lots of “cystics” were nurses, so nursing was an excitingly possible career choice. Sonoma State University seemed like the perfect fit for the next chapter of her life. Briauna planned on obtaining a nursing undergraduate degree and becoming a Sonoma Seawolf given the school’s reputation for strong athletics and a very active student life community.
Briauna had to drop out during the spring semester of her sophomore year. She recalls, “I couldn’t even walk up stairs.”
She was in college and trying to juggle her studies and workload, making new friends, and taking care of herself. In order to manage her CF, Briauna began to slow down her daily physical exertion, and eventually stopped most activities altogether.
She landed in the hospital and from then out, it was pretty much two times a year for longer than she would like to remember. Her bouts were worsening and she was searching for different outlets for community, nutrition and fitness because when she was most active she was most healthy and happy.
Facebook was in its early years, when Briauna would consider herself to be socially active. Briauna fondly recalls meeting Ronnie, founder and servant leader to the CysticLife Community on FB and decided to join CL back in 2010.
“I just felt more comfortable with my CF and the community at large when I joined Cystic Life. I could be more open about my CF, and I was. “– Briauna Peters
Briauna decided that she didn’t want to go back to college to finish up school, but instead she wanted to do what she loved… every day. She worked incredibly hard over the last two years to re-define herself and her lifestyle. She’s changed her diet from the typical “CF diet” to eating healthy and exercising 5-6 days a week.
“I directly correlate that to my new lifestyle and exercising because times that I have stopped for a week or two I drastically start feeling horrible again.”
Brie decided to embark on a new career path and became a Personal Health & Fitness Coach (Beach Body Coach). Her ambition succeeded and Brie decided she needed a fresh hobby that would complement her new found profession and active lifestyle.
