When you’re a preteen, fitting in (or at least, not standing out) can be a big part of life. Sometimes, you’re just trying to get along with schoolmates, teachers, and peers. Sometimes, you’re trying to be accepted by others.
Regardless, being 12 years old comes with an additional set of pressures, especially when you’re also dealing with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF).
CF is an inherited, life-threatening condition, and symptoms often include frequent lung infections and shortness of breath. The life expectancy for a person with CF is about 37 years.
And as if that isn’t enough to consider, cystic fibrosis is a “hidden disease.”
People with CF can be very sick, but it isn’t a disease that can really be “seen” by others. Seen or not, managing a CF medical regimen can be daunting—ingesting about 40 pills plus vitamins, doing lung physiotherapy, and taking treatment with a nebulizer—each and every day.
Now imagine you’re an active, growing 12-year old girl who doesn’t want to be slowed down by the grown-up requirements of managing an involved condition. Such is a day in the life of Charlotte Bradford, as highlighted in the Plymouth Herald.
It took years to get a diagnosis for Charlotte’s symptoms of being “chesty” and having loose stools. In fact, doctors tried to convince her mother Rebecca, that Charlotte was suffering with a common chest infection and irritable bowel syndrome.
Rebecca kept pushing and in 2014, Charlotte received the diagnosis of CF.
For most people, this could have been quite a blow. For Charlotte, she refused to let her CF diagnosis define her. She still plays on sports teams throughout the week and swims. And Charlotte is not showing any signs of slowing down.
According to the Plymouth Herald, Rebecca says, “We try and keep as positive as possible.” But Rebecca and Charlotte share a common concern: that most people don’t understand how serious CF can be. “There’s not enough awareness out there regarding cystic fibrosis and people assume that because you can’t see the condition it can’t be that bad.”
To help get the word out, stand behind her daughter, and bring CF into the light, Rebecca is taking her fight to a higher stratosphere. Although she is terrified of heights, Rebecca is skydiving in July to raise awareness of CF and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Want to help this mom reach her financial goal, and further CF research and advancements? Find more information at Rebecca’s fundraising site.
