Mountains Moved
Wednesday as I was sitting for a compliance training session for my new temporary job at a very notable medical center, I was overwhelmed with joy. I was in training for a job. A REAL J-O-B. The past 2 years I've been working on and off for family. Not to discredit my employment, but I didn't pursue a BS degree, my certification, (I'm a CHES!! Update later) and wasn't passionate about a career in it. Also my main job was taking care of my health. Now this isn't the first time I've "worked". Since I was 12 I worked in the entertainment business. Job interviewing and networking was nothing new to me. Although auditioning and job interviewing have their similarities, entertainment is all about creating and anything goes.With Health Education I have to bring a standard of knowledge, wits and compassion. There are more rules and regulations and I am responsible for others health. If you aren't entertained oh well, but health care is life and death. But it is MUCH BIGGER THAN THAT.
This REAL JOB I pursued through networking, emailing resumes, Internet searches, asking strangers and anyone with a health connection for guidance and advice. Two months ago I was contacted by a connection I had made through a friend working at this medical center. I was asked if I was available to work on a "special project" until the end of the year. It would be under the Health Ed. Department, but it was more a 'help desk' customer service job for an initiative to get patients to sign up online and learn about the resources available to them. SIGN ME UP! This could be my foot in the door or a way to gain more experience I thought. It took forever to process all the paperwork and pre-hiring requirements. As well as my life seemed to be falling apart around me. My family is on a roller coaster of health pitfalls. It seems anything I work on doesn't get resolved in the minimum amount of steps, problems creep up from every corner. I was distracted by events and people that drained my energy. I interviewed for an amazing job for which I traveled to interviews, created presentations and wasn't selected. I dealt with doubts and concerns about my health and my exposure working in the health care field. Worries of my cough and my energy level would keep me from working. I've loss weight from the stress. My lungs seem way more sensitive to stress and they seem to close up, like an asthmatic during the day. I pushed it all down and I showed up to training. When I received my badge, with my name, position, dept. and name of organization my mind broke free from the darkness. I had a jubilee in my head. I couldn't wait to get to my car. Where I screamed and danced around. I had moved mountains...
AND IT IS BIGGER THAN THAT
When I was diagnosed at age 6, they were just identifying the gene mutations that caused cystic fibrosis. I wasn't really told I wasn't going to live past childhood, but my parents lived with knowing living into my twenties was a small reality. Even if I did, my life would be plagued with hospitalizations and treatments. College was not an option. All hopes parents have for their child that they are preparing them for in childhood was not allowed. Thankfully my parents had a different belief system. They took control. They threw the standards right back at the doctors and they fought for my life. I say that I didn't really live with CF until I was 21. I grew up doing my breathing treatments twice a day, taking oral antibiotics when I was sick once or twice a year etc., but it didn't really stop me from living. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" was my belief system. By the grace of God my disease is a mild case and as I've grown up CF has changed from being a deadly childhood disease to having over 40% of CFers as adults. The median age of survival has increased and planning for adulthood is possible. A paradigm shift is occurring, we can have goals and dreams for a life where CF is managed.
Besides my goal of being famous, which was a long shot, just like surviving CF into adulthood, I had another goal, to go to college. I somehow had made up my mind I was at least going to be around long enough for that. Until Dark Fall 2007, which I have briefly discussed, graduating college was going to happen. Since December 13, 2007 when I was hospitalized for the first time, I started writing a negative life script and entered into the dark pit of life that I've been living in and out of until Wednesday. JOY washed over me because of how far I had come. My first day on Thursday I had the biggest smile on my face. Even though it was a stressful crash course on the software and buildings, I LOVED every minute of it. I could have been doing the worst job and still would have been soaking up all the goodness knowing that once again I had overcome CF. My hard work had paid off.
I am 25 years old.
ALIVE and WELL.
Working.
Finally, pursuing my calling, loving and helping others dealing with health problems.
TWENTY YEARS AGO THEY WOULD HAVE SAID IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
Well I'm celebrating from the top of the mountains shouting praises, feeling so alive and happy to being sharing this with you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This REAL JOB I pursued through networking, emailing resumes, Internet searches, asking strangers and anyone with a health connection for guidance and advice. Two months ago I was contacted by a connection I had made through a friend working at this medical center. I was asked if I was available to work on a "special project" until the end of the year. It would be under the Health Ed. Department, but it was more a 'help desk' customer service job for an initiative to get patients to sign up online and learn about the resources available to them. SIGN ME UP! This could be my foot in the door or a way to gain more experience I thought. It took forever to process all the paperwork and pre-hiring requirements. As well as my life seemed to be falling apart around me. My family is on a roller coaster of health pitfalls. It seems anything I work on doesn't get resolved in the minimum amount of steps, problems creep up from every corner. I was distracted by events and people that drained my energy. I interviewed for an amazing job for which I traveled to interviews, created presentations and wasn't selected. I dealt with doubts and concerns about my health and my exposure working in the health care field. Worries of my cough and my energy level would keep me from working. I've loss weight from the stress. My lungs seem way more sensitive to stress and they seem to close up, like an asthmatic during the day. I pushed it all down and I showed up to training. When I received my badge, with my name, position, dept. and name of organization my mind broke free from the darkness. I had a jubilee in my head. I couldn't wait to get to my car. Where I screamed and danced around. I had moved mountains...
AND IT IS BIGGER THAN THAT
When I was diagnosed at age 6, they were just identifying the gene mutations that caused cystic fibrosis. I wasn't really told I wasn't going to live past childhood, but my parents lived with knowing living into my twenties was a small reality. Even if I did, my life would be plagued with hospitalizations and treatments. College was not an option. All hopes parents have for their child that they are preparing them for in childhood was not allowed. Thankfully my parents had a different belief system. They took control. They threw the standards right back at the doctors and they fought for my life. I say that I didn't really live with CF until I was 21. I grew up doing my breathing treatments twice a day, taking oral antibiotics when I was sick once or twice a year etc., but it didn't really stop me from living. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" was my belief system. By the grace of God my disease is a mild case and as I've grown up CF has changed from being a deadly childhood disease to having over 40% of CFers as adults. The median age of survival has increased and planning for adulthood is possible. A paradigm shift is occurring, we can have goals and dreams for a life where CF is managed.
Besides my goal of being famous, which was a long shot, just like surviving CF into adulthood, I had another goal, to go to college. I somehow had made up my mind I was at least going to be around long enough for that. Until Dark Fall 2007, which I have briefly discussed, graduating college was going to happen. Since December 13, 2007 when I was hospitalized for the first time, I started writing a negative life script and entered into the dark pit of life that I've been living in and out of until Wednesday. JOY washed over me because of how far I had come. My first day on Thursday I had the biggest smile on my face. Even though it was a stressful crash course on the software and buildings, I LOVED every minute of it. I could have been doing the worst job and still would have been soaking up all the goodness knowing that once again I had overcome CF. My hard work had paid off.
I am 25 years old.
ALIVE and WELL.
Working.
Finally, pursuing my calling, loving and helping others dealing with health problems.
TWENTY YEARS AGO THEY WOULD HAVE SAID IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
Well I'm celebrating from the top of the mountains shouting praises, feeling so alive and happy to being sharing this with you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!