Where do I see myself in 10 years? I’m only just coming to grips with the fact that I’m going to be 40 this year. Let alone thinking about making the half a century mark! I would say that I can’t imagine making it to 50. Sounds a little morbid, but let me explain.
For those who don’t know me in real life, I have Cystic Fibrosis. Which for those of you who don’t know, is a lung disease. Even though it’s a lung disease, it also affects multiple parts of my body. These are parts you would think have nothing to do with a lung disease. Nose, bones, liver etc. So it’s not a nice experience.
I was originally diagnosed at 6 years old. I don’t remember much about that time, just aspects of it. I remember that they thought I was allergic to chocolate originally. A 6 year old being told that he can’t have chocolate ever again?? That was probably the worst news I could’ve been told! But after a few tests, it was determined that it wasn’t that. I remember having something called a sweat test. I believe it was that, that confirmed it was Cystic Fibrosis. My siblings also had to go through the same test, but thankfully, they’d come back negative.
After being diagnosed, my parents were told that I was unlikely to make it too my teens. As you can imagine, my parents were heart broken. Being told that one of their children will only be around for so many years cannot be easy to hear. But, and it’s a big but, this information was based on only a few examples. The severity of the disease is different for everyone. There are different strains and mutations. (Unfortunately, they are not the X-men type). These factors decide what treatment the individual needs.
As the years went on, it became clearer that I only had a mild case of this disease. In other words, even though it’s affected alot of my body and my life, I’m extremely lucky. I mean, I’m about to hit 40 years. That’s about 27 years longer than ‘not going to make my teens’. That’s one hell of a accomplishment.
Being honest, the whole, you aren’t going to make *insert age here* is always at the back of my mind. Now that I’m coming up to 40, the next mark in my mind is going to be 50. This has been a very lengthy response to the original prompt. In 10 years, I hope to be as healthy as I am now. I want to have the opportunity to continue to play with my nephews and nieces.
I would love to hear from you, where do you think you’ll be in 10 years? Have you made any huge personal accomplishments?
The Fifth Try 