Gallaudet National Essay Contest
Honorable Mention		Every Day of My Life By Chris Miller Louisville Male High School Louisville, Kentucky

	Chris Miller

The ball sailed deep into left center and I sprinted towards first base. The first base coach waved me onto second so I swung out wide, turning my momentum towards second base. The left fielder just reached the ball as I touched second and started my charge towards third. The third base coach gave me the “hold up” sign, but I continued. Huffing and exhausted, I slid into third just ahead of the ball. “SAFE!” shouted the umpire. I had just hit a triple, something I was not supposed to be able to accomplish not because of lack of speed but because of Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

CF is a genetic defect that causes extreme amounts of mucus to be secreted, blocking the air passages in the lungs. This makes breathing difficult and limits strenuous physical activity. As I grew in the love and excellent care of my family, I learned more and more about my condition and how it affected my everyday life. I took a plethora of medicines with each meal and endured physical therapy, along with nebulizer treatments up to four times a day.

Thanks to the never-ending dedication of my parents and family, I remained in fairly good health throughout my early years. Perhaps there were moments when my parents thought, “Why Chris? Why us?” but they never showed it. All I saw from them was great love and support. Thanks to the great advancements in care for CF patients, my prognosis is much better than it was when I was first diagnosed. And thanks to my family who always provided me with all the love and encouragement in the world, I am now almost 18 years old. My dad has been my best friend, and many times he nursed me back to good health when I got sick. He always told me that if I took care of myself and believed in myself there was nothing I couldn’t do.

I will never overcome this disease, but I have adapted to a lifestyle. I know what I can and cannot do, and I try to raise the bar a little bit whenever possible. When I entered high school, my dream was to play high school baseball. Many people thought that I would not be able to keep up with the physically demanding practices and energy-draining schedule. But thanks again to my family’s support and my own unyielding desire, I was able to make the varsity team in my sophomore year.

I could allow CF to run my life, but I choose to live my life with as much normalcy as I can. Even when I miss school, I work hard to stay current with my classmates. Sure, I could use CF as an excuse and no one would blame me, but I have to look at myself in the mirror each day. I am only accountable to myself and God. God allows me to continue.

I live my life by the words of the late Jim Valvano, “Although this disease is inside me, there are three things it cannot touch. It cannot touch my mind. It cannot touch my heart. And it cannot touch my spirit. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” These words drive me each day to be the best that I can be.

I live with CF daily, but a positive approach towards life makes each day a turning point. Each day I wake up and thank God for the opportunity to live another day, and then I promise myself that I will make the best of it.