Tag: cf awareness

A Long Overdue Update: A birthday celebration, toddler life, home IV antibiotics, and a hospital admission

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Phew, it’s been awhile. Hi there!

I thought I would quickly write an update for Fenn and I while our one-year-old little boy took a nap this afternoon. There were some big moments/changes/challenges this summer both for Fenn and I, but I guess that comes with the territory of toddlerhood and motherhood with CF.

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Fenn
Age: 13 months
Weight: 22 pounds
Heights: 31 inches
Words: mama, dada, kitty, ball, hi, bye-bye, night-night, hot, shoe, ba-ba

Fenn turned one-year-old in late August! I can’t believe he is a toddler now! Let me tell you, that little guy had so much fun at his “Growing Up, Up, Up” hot air balloon first birthday party. He tasted cake for the first time and knew exactly what to do with it. He also loved helping us open all his presents and being the center of attention. Even though he’s just a wee little one, he totally understood the party was for him and that he was special and so important to everyone. We loved having our friends and family celebrate our sweet boy and all the joy he has added to this past year.

Fenn has been walking for a couple months now and is quite good at getting around. He loves to do laps in our house and climb up and down the stairs (it gives me a heartache every time, but we do it). He is CONSTANTLY on the move and I am exhausted 99% of the time. We have been working on adding more words to his vocabulary with the addition of baby sign language. I am surprised daily how quickly he picks up on language. We have a talker! It’s fascinating to watch him understand direction and learn to communicate with the world around him, and with us. I love hearing him say, “Mama” and then watching intently for him to motion to what he needs. I know I say this during every new phase, but I am really enjoying this age watching him learn and grow so quickly.

At the moment, Fenn really enjoys reading and looking through books, whether that’s solo or with anyone who is willing to sit read with him. He enjoys listening to songs, will do a little dance, and loves any toys that he can bang together to make noise (hmmmm, our kitchen pots and pans). His other favorite toys include stacking cups, cars, and balls. He loves to climb on everything and can get a little naughty when he wants to. He loves all different kinds of fruit, chicken, various veggies, and puffs at the moment. We are also still breastfeeding three times a day. He is always, always hungry.

Fenn is very social. I’m talking wants-to-be-friends-with-EVERYONE social. He loves going to story time and interacting with the other kids and adults. He loves being around people. He loves giving hugs and playing with strangers. He is definitely a high energy extrovert, meaning I spent 99% of the summer chasing him around. Lord, give me strength, please!

Last week, we had a very scary choking incident with Fenn. He was snacking on watermelon (which he has had 100 times before) and put too many pieces in his mouth without me noticing. He began to choke, and I quickly realized I needed to sweep his mouth to remove the pieces and then use the baby Heimlich maneuver. He coughed the rest out, but was very unsettled, drooling, and acting as if he was in pain. When Peter got home about 30 minutes later, we took Fenn into the ER because my mama intuition told me something wasn’t right.

In the ER, It took a long time to calm him down, and it was the most anxious and helpless I have ever felt as a mother thus far. He had an xray and Tylenol, and then finally settled from pure exhaustion. Because of the serious nature of choking and possible aspiration, the ER staff thought it was best to be transferred him in the ambulance to the main Rainbow’s ER for more tests and evaluation. Right before we got in the ambulance, Fenn puked on me and seemed to be better and in no pain. I think whatever was stuck in his esophagus had dislodged. We were transferred downtown, and our recovered Fenny-Boy had a blast in the ambulance–smiling, gabbing, ripping off his pulse ox, and showing off for the paramedics :|. I was just happy he was acting himself again after the scary non-stop crying and obvious discomfort. I was just happy my baby was back. Once we were there, the Rainbow’s staff checked him over seeing he was obviously improved and said we could go home after nursing him.

Thankfully, Fenn is ok and recovered quickly from the very traumatic experience. I am just thankful I knew baby Heimlich and CPR because I NEVER thought I would ever need to use such training. Everyone is healthy and happy now, but the Lord protected us throughout that night by keeping Peter and I calm and attentive and encouraging Fenn to be a good patient.

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Age: 28
Weight: 106
Lung function: 59%
Words: not as many as Fenn

Personally, it’s been a very challenging summer for me in terms of lung function and health. I started the summer off with two weeks of home IV antibiotics due to feeling tired and short of breath, and eight weeks later I was back on IVs again. IVs were not what I wanted to spend my summer doing but it happened and we made it through feeling better and stronger.

Prior to the most recent round, I felt “ok” but my lung function took a big hit. At my appointment, I blew a 48% and then eventually working my way up to a 53%. I knew I couldn’t sit with those numbers below my baseline and risk a permanent decline, and so I discouragingly made the decision so start three different home IVs again only eight weeks after the first round. I was discouraged. I was sad. I cried on the way home and had to mentally prepare myself for all the work and flexibility IVs demand from our family. I was doing everything right and yet somehow, I still ended up back in that “place”. That’s one of the most exhausting and disheartening parts of living with cystic fibrosis, and it can feel very emotionally painful sometimes. All my efforts to keep myself healthy weren’t enough, I needed to spend this summer with some extra help, and that’s the reality of CF.

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David Blakeslee Photography

I slowly started to notice minimal improvement on IVs, but didn’t feel I was improving, both symptomatically and clinically, as fast as I usually do. That’s when around 5 weeks in to my second course of IVs I started to feel as if I caught the stomach flu due to horrible stomach cramping and no appetite. I waited a couple days, hoping it would pass, but when the pain got more intense and I was obviously dehydrated (we were concerned for my kidneys because of the IV antibiotics), so my mom joined me on a trip to the ER. A CT scan confirmed what I feared; I had a complete bowel obstruction in my small bowel just below my stomach. DUH DUH DUH.

In the ER, they place an NG tube (a tube that goes through your nose down into your stomach) and suctioned the contents of my stomach to give me some relief. I received a bunch of IV fluids, nausea meds, and I felt much, much better. Then, I was transferred via ambulance to the main campus of UH and immediately admitted.

Over the next couple days, I was on bowel rest, nothing by mouth (not even ice chips, uhhhhh), and intermittent suction through my NG in hopes the release of pressure would relax my digestive tract. After I was suctioned dry, we then tried various solutions through my NG tube to try and dislodge the blockage. No luck there. We weren’t sure what was causing the blockage: old mucus, scarring from my appendectomy, or poop (of course). Bowel obstructions are very common in CF, but my blockage was in an uncommon location and so both the surgical and CF teams were a bit stumped at first.

Truthfully, I do not wish a bowel obstruction on anyone. Being filled with liquid when your body can’t digest and remove it, is simply horrible. At one point, my stomach was contracting so badly, trying in effort to move the blockage and solutions and my NG tube had clogged, the surgical resident had to replace it with the largest tube they could fit. Talk about an intense nose hose! My eyes watered like crazy! Thankfully, the first placement was successful, my stomach was suctioned once again, and I enjoyed a couple rounds of morphine after because the consistent stomach cramping was unbearable. I would equate the stomach cramping equal to my drug-free labor. I am as serious as a bowel obstruction, here. I am not someone who takes narcotics lightly, since I have a very high pain threshold, so you can imagine what this experience was like.

After a couple days of no good news, I was scheduled for surgery the following day (something we were desperately trying to avoid). Abdominal surgery is tough to recover from when you cough and have to do airway clearance. Also, one bowel obstruction surgery greatly increases your risk of another bowel obstruction. We were out of time and options. Until that afternoon, my CF doctor burst into my room and said, “If we go to radiology now, I bribed a guy with champagne to do a procedure on you.”

“Cool, lets go,” I said. I blindly got in her wheelchair and off we went.

I’ll leave it up to your imagination of what they did to me. But, I can tell you it included the head of radiology, a very large tube connected to a gallon of liquid, an x-ray machine, and an inversion table….

BUT, IT WORKED!

Thank goodness it worked! And thank goodness, I have a doctor who is willing to hand deliver me to radiology and be the absolute best advocate she can be for her patients. She promised me I would get home to my baby, and she delivered. I feel very blessed I am under her care. I left a couple days later, with all my bowels in tact and a strict order to never eat Pirate’s Booty White Cheddar Popcorn again. That’s right, Pirate’s Booty betrayed me. We saw the evidence with our own eyes. (No this is no sponsored. Please drink adequate water and consume at your own risk.)

Even though it was a difficult hospital stay, the worst part was that my admission was so abrupt and unexpected; we didn’t have a plan for Fenn. Thankfully, our families rallied together and he was cared for and even came to visit twice while I was in the hospital for a week. I missed him so much and felt very anxious about being away from him. I continued another two weeks of IVs once I was home and started to work on gaining the 8 lb. I lost back. After seven weeks of IVs, my lung function went back up to a 59% and we let my body rest. Overall, the summer was fun, joyful, and busy, and we came out both surviving an ambulance ride and and some challenging moments.

Thank you everyone who watched Fenn and cared for our family this long, difficult summer. Here’s to a healthier fall!

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Six Month Update

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I swear time is speeding up. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that Fenn has been a part of our family for six months now! It seems impossible (and bittersweet) that we are half way through our first year together. It’s been such a surreal time for Peter and I and our families to watch him grow and change. I think so far we are doing a pretty dang good job at being his parents. I wake up every morning feeling encouraged that I was made to be a mom. I feel as if I found my calling and it fits, Fenn and I, so I can’t ask for much more. Here’s an update on our little baby boy and myself– the good, the bad, and the adorable.
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Fenn Gilbert Whitworth
Age: 6 months
Height: 27.5 inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 16 lb 15.6 oz (32nd percentile)

Fenn is a special baby. Of course we all know how special he is given our circumstances; but truly he is an excellent sleeper, a laid back, cuddly and smiley baby. (I say this with a bias only a mother can have). Don’t get me wrong, he has a shriek that can shatter glass, pulls your neck skin at a strength that provokes tears, and has a short fuse when he is hungry, tired, or wants to be held. But he is stinking adorable, so in my eyes he’s beyond perfect.

As a newborn, we swear Fenny didn’t do anything but sleep for the first 2 months. In fact, I had to undress him and rub him down in order for him to nurse because he was so sleepy. He also was diagnosed with a tongue-tie before we left the hospital which made it hard to latch the first couple months of breastfeeding (more so, it was very, very painful for me to nurse). We persevered and now, I can proudly say he has been exclusively breastfed for six months and counting! I AM REALLY PROUD OF HIM AND MYSELF! 🙂 He still nurses every 2 hours during the day, which is a lot for a 6-month-old boy, but I don’t mind as long as he sleeps through the night. He just really enjoys the milks (like a lot). Because I am always on some sort of antibiotic, Fenn takes a daily probiotic to help keep his gut healthy and he tolerates my milk well. We haven’t started solids yet but plan to try a more baby led weaning approach in the near future when he and I are both ready. That will be an adventure!

From the beginning, Fenn has been a good sleeper. He was the typical newborn that woke up 3-4 times a night to eat but then would go back to bed. At about 2 months, he started sleeping through the night. We also transitioned him to his crib in his own room around that time because he was beginning to stir in his sleep when I would cough at night. He moved to his room much sooner than I planned, but I am happy the transition was smooth. Currently, he takes two 2-hour naps and a 30-minute catnap during the day and sleeps from 7pm- 6:30am at night. Our nap and bedtime routine usually goes like this: nurse, change his diaper and sing a little song, turn on the sound machine, put him in his sleep sack with his paci, and then he falls asleep on his own. Sometimes he will fuss or babble for a couple minutes, but usually he drifts off peacefully. It’s some sort of witchcraft. He is the best self-soother and that has made my job a whole lot easier. Fenn is like Peter in the fact that they both fall asleep in about three seconds while you are in the middle of telling them what you had for lunch.

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Fenn has hit all his milestones ahead or on time. Although, he is a pretty laidback baby in the sense that he doesn’t care to roll over that much even though he knows how. He much prefers to sit up on his own and or be on his belly to play. He loves to bounce in the jumperoo, mimic sounds, smile, and chew on anything within reach. He recently got his first tooth after two months of teething. I thought it would never come! He is always sucking on his hands, toys, thumbs, or paci. His favorite pastime is to pull off both socks and suck on his big toe. He is a serious sucker. Fenn loves to be out and about surrounded by people. I can tell he will probably be an extrovert like his mama. He will flash anyone a smile and really enjoys flirting with all the grandmas at Aldi. Fenn also loves his daddy! I swear dads get all the glory. When Peter comes home from work, Fenn smiles so big you can barely see his eyes under those squishy cheeks. He is a lovable dude, that Fenny boy. We love him so much!

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Janeil Emma Jaggers Whitworth
Age: 27 years
Weight: 105 lb
Lung Function: 55%

Motherhood is not for the weak. Add cystic fibrosis into the mix and some days, *phew*, it’s exhausting. I will be honest in saying although I have stayed compliant to my treatments and medications; my body is feeling the effects of caring for our baby boy. Physically it can be difficult to be his primary caregiver, but it has been the most joyful and fulfilling gift. I was made to be his mommy; I just know it.

After delivery, my body healed really quickly. Even with the many, many stiches, painful nursing, and interrupted sleep, I felt really healthy despite the normal postpartum woes. The first few months we did fairly well adjusting to our new routine and sleep adventures. It is common with CF to see a decline within the first year post-baby, so I wasn’t surprised in December that we decided to treat my drop in lung function with three IV antibiotics. I went from a high of 71% lung function while pregnant (pregnancy was so very kind to me) to a 55% around the holidays. Of course a couple weeks into treatment, I developed some crazy delayed allergic reaction to Bactrim leaving me with rashes, shakes, high fevers and a 2am call to my doctor. We stopped antibiotics and let my body recover until the New Year. In February at my appointment, my weight was down a little more and my lung showed no improvement, but I felt great. As long as I feel ok, we are treating the decline as a temporary state of health. My job is to focus on eating, doing my treatments, and resting when I can, and of course loving my baby boy.

Weight plays a big role in overall well-being with cystic fibrosis. I lost the majority of my baby weight (26 lb) even before we left the hospital and had a really poor appetite for the following months. But determined as I was to breastfeed, I knew I had to fuel my body even if I wasn’t hungry. Having prepared meals in the house from friends and family for the first few months really helped keep my weight stable. Since then, I have slowly lost more weight (not ideal) but still am able to breastfeed as long as I continue to be cognizant of my calorie intake. After switching my medications around, my appetite has come back finally, and I am enjoying food once again. Amen!

Not all moms with CF are able to breastfeed, heck not all healthy moms can breastfeed, so I feel really blessed and hopeful that if I made it this far, I can make it to one year and beyond. At my recent doctor appointment, I asked my physician if she thought it was time to stop because I was declining. Her response almost brought me to tears. She said that this would be my only time to give him everything he needs—the immunity and the benefits. She knows how special it is to provide for your baby and that she would never want to take that privilege away from me. She didn’t think six more months would be so detrimental to my health that it was necessary to stop. I really appreciated the way she looked at the whole picture of my experience. As a doctor, she could have advised me that it was time to stop because of my low weight and declining lung function, but she knew as a mother herself, I would have been devastated. A lot of what it means to be a mother is sacrificing yourself because you love your children and hope to give them the best of you. You also can’t pour from an empty cup, and so I know my job is to be responsible with my sacrifices right now. Oh, how much you learn when you are suddenly in charge of keeping a human alive. 🙂

Although only half my lungs are in working shape and I’m a skinny little thing right now, my motivation to stay healthy and push through those tough moments is completely different. Caring for Fenny isn’t physically easy a lot of the time, but I enjoy it so much that it seems simple to me. You really do become a superhero version of yourself once you become a mom. I am exhausted, my body is depleted, I am multitasking always, and yet I live for the moments when he wakes up and flashes his gummy grin. I hold him throughout the day and think how lucky I am that he gets to sit on my hip and I have one less arm to accomplish anything. That’s my idea of a happy life.

 

Love and Light,

J

#31daysofCF

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Happy, happy June! The month of May, or CF awareness month, is long gone by now but I saw the #31daysofcf challenge on Instagram in early May and liked the thought of it. Each day you are to cover a different topic in the realm of CF and I thought it very informational. (Also, you’re very welcome I saved you from enduring 31 pictures of CF on my Instagram account last month- that’s just too much. I need more cat pictures, I think.)

Below are pictures from the CFF Great Strides Walk at the Cleveland Zoo. The biggest thank you to those who purchased a t-shirt, joined us in walking on that very cold day, or donated to our team. You made it a very happy and humbling month!

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1. Diagnosis: I was diagnosed at age 4, which is slightly unusual (2/3 of CFers are diagnosed by age 1). I had no respiratory symptoms but suffered terrible stomachaches, stomach distention, and poor weight gain. The doctors were really clueless and frankly, didn’t believe anything was wrong. A very persistent doctor drove my mom to a nearby hospital and a sweat test showed I had CF on August 4, 1995.

2. First year- worst year: I don’t remember much of the first year because I was a 5 year old and as happy as a clam. I do remember my sweat test and my favorite nurse (which I still see to this day) explaining my pancreatic enzymes could taste like strawberries in my imagination. My mom probably has a different version of the first year: I had just been diagnosed and shortly after, my father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. I am sure for my mom this was the most challenging and heartbreaking year of her life. She was and is the best caretaker in all realms of her life.

3. Medication $$$: Medication costs with CF (any chronic disease really) are astronomical. Orkambi, the first medication to treat the cause of CF, retails at $259,000 year- not even kidding. Pulmozyme, an inhaled medication I take twice a day, is $72,000 a year. Of course, I have primary insurance that covers a large portion of these costs but even the co-pays per a month would bankrupt you when you take 18 different medications a day. I am VERY, VERY, VERY thankful I qualify for an adult CF program from the State of Ohio which covers the remaining cost of my medication after my primary insurance. Hospital stays, doctor visit copays, clinical tests, and home IVs are a completely different story. It ain’t cheap being sick, ya’ll.

4. Illness + hospital admissions: I have lost count of my total admissions over the years, but my first admission was at age 11 for IV antibiotics (which is pretty dang good by CF standards). My longest stay was 41 days in high school. In college, I started “dorm” IVs so that I could continue going to school and reduce my hospital stay to only a weekend. Last year I was on IVs 5 times, which has been my worst year yet. Thankfully, I now bypass the hospital completely and begin IVs at home because my doctor is a rock star and that’s where I am most comfortable.

5. Diet: High-fat, high-protein, high-salt and high-calorie. This is why I am always eating :D.

6. Clinic: I have been going to the same clinic at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland since my diagnosis and love the staff there. I could not say better things about my clinic. I even serve on their CF Quality Improvement Team as their only patient representative.

7. School: I am thankful that God has blessed me with intelligence and quick comprehension. In 4th grade, I missed 114 days of school due to CF and still don’t know how to multiply fractions. I had a tutor some years to instruct me when I was absent for extended periods of time, but I made it to Case Western and graduated with a Bachelors in Anthropology, Minor in Psychology and a Certificate in Global Health (still in the mix of getting my masters), so I did all right, I think?

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8. Non-compliance: Middle school and early high school were my non-compliant years. I didn’t physically feel like I needed my treatments and I was a snotty teenager. My mom had it rough for a while and we fought a bit before I got my head out of my butt.

9. Greatest accomplishment-biggest challenge: This is a tough one for me. I think my greatest accomplishment is just being genuinely joyful. The Lord has blessed me with consistent happiness despite everything, and I am grateful I wake up feeling that way most days. Lots of CFers (people in general, too) have anxiety and depression, and thankfully, I don’t suffer from either of those. My biggest challenge has been reminding myself that I need to stop comparing my life to the lives of my normal peers. It’s ok I don’t work full-time in a career, have a 401k, and I hop in bed at 8pm most nights. My life looks a little different and comparison is the thief of joy.

10. Pros + cons: Pros- Unique perspective, gratitude, faith, empathy, focus, strength, relationship with my mom and sharing my experiences. Cons- fatigue, pain, coughing, mucus, limiting my ability to work, feeling dependent on medication and others, and the financial burden.

11. P words: PICC line, port, pills, physicians, poop, pseudomonas- that’s all I have.

12. Cracking point: My cracking point was probably last fall. I was tired all the time, not sleeping, started Orkambi, suffering from chronic pain, and felt pretty horrible but my lung function was pretty good. Working full time was exhausting me and I had little energy to enjoy life otherwise. It was very confusing and I felt very burdened trying to be “normal”. Now, I feel much, much better after finding a better balance!

13. The first time I heard that big word (or phrase): “pregnancy in CF”. I remember being 13 and getting “the talk” from my peds CF doctor. Back in 2003, he said having a baby when you have CF is difficult but some women do it. You have to work for the opportunity to be pregnant and after that it was more of an “if” than a “when”. Other options included using a surrogate or adoption to preserve health, otherwise planning a pregnancy was important. That stuck with me forever because up until then I didn’t realize my disease would affect my ability to experience typical milestones.

14. Out of the mouth: “You’re so little.” “You eat a lot.” “Are you sick again?” “Do you need water/cough drop?” “Where have you been?” “You’re still hungry?”

15. Organ donation: Donate your organs, it’s really as simple as that. Double lung transplants, kidney transplants, and liver transplants are fairly common in end-stage CF. So many people pass away while waiting on the list due to organ shortages. Make your passing a time filled with hope and thankfulness for another suffering family. P.S. I am an organ donor as well!

16. What is that?: I hear this most often when someone sees my Vest for the first time or when I am in a bathing suit and my port is visible. Sometimes it’s just a puzzled side-eye look, but don’t think I don’t know what you are looking at.

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17. My support system: My mama, Peter, Sybil (of course), my siblings and cousins, and special friends in the CF community.

18. Hygiene: Germs are dangerous to CFers. When we catch the common cold, the chronic infections and the cold virus battle for resources in our bodies and can exacerbate our CF and become really serious. I don’t live like a germaphobe but many CFers do in order to stay healthy and out of the hospital. Wash your hands, cover your cough with your elbow, and get your flu vaccine, please.

19. Smoking: Ugh, smoking. Of course, I hate it. On one side, I don’t understand why you would choose to damage a perfectly good organ. But on the other side, I recognize the control addiction can have on someone, even someone who loves you and sees you struggling to breathe, and so I don’t really get upset when I see my family members smoking. Everyone needs grace and I have the opportunity to give it to them.

20. Family: I am the only one with CF in my family but we are unsure how many members are carriers. Within my family, two brothers married two sisters causing a group of double cousins who will also especially need to be tested before they have children, along with my siblings.

21. CF friendship: The CF community is crazy connected. Mostly, people talk online since we are encouraged not to be around each other due to infection control guidelines. It’s really hard not to be able to hang out in person with the only people in the world who “just get it”. I have bended the rules a bit this year and I don’t regret it!

22. The life of a CFer: Managing CF is a full time job. I do my Vest around 14 hours a week, treatments around 20 hours a week, cleaning and managing equipment around 4 hours a week. I take ~35 pills a day and continually watch my blood sugar. Add all this on top your average life of working full time (I work part-time now), managing a household, and having time and energy for a social life…. It’s almost impossible.

23. 5 minutes of fame: Salty Girls, working on The Salty Life Magazine, getting recognized in a townie bar for this blog- so funny!

24. Biggest wish: My biggest wish is to carry a pregnancy, be an exceptional mom, and have a nice garden to sit in with Peter. Underwhelmed by that wish, haha?

25. Biggest fear: My biggest fear, both on a micro and macro level, is missing out. I have extreme FOMO when my family hangs out without me because I am busy, too tired to do anything, or stuck in the hospital. I can’t handle it. I also fear I will miss out on life- pregnancy, raising kids, reaching milestones, or even silly family parties after I am gone. Also, that one day they will remove Friends from Netflix.

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26. A legacy like no other: I want to leave a legacy of empathy. CF has taught me so much about other people’s pain and I feel like I have an ability to experience their pain with them. I think bearing witness to someone’s struggle is one of the most important things you can do to support them.

27. My wish for CF: A cure for the people who feel like giving up, for the parents with children with CF, and for the young adults struggling to make really difficult decisions at such a young age.

28. Remembering those who lost their battle: This past year I signed onto facebook and saw too many posts about CFers passing away. It was a tough year for our community. Each passing is just as sad as the next, and I am always so heartbroken for their families they leave behind. I never talk about the life expectancy of CF on my blog, mainly because it’s not something I choose to focus on on a daily basis. But the reality is, expecting to live only to your early 40s is not good enough. People fight so boldy with this disease, and I always take a moment to remember them when I feel I am taking advantage of my own health. I am so very blessed to be where I am.

29. Fundraising: Fundraising is so important since CF research receives almost no federal funding. Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising endeavor by purchasing a Flowerlungs t-shirt or joining us on the Great Strides Walk! Your support is so very appreciated and humbling and you are making a difference!

30. Raising awareness: The past year has really been a time focused on raising awareness about CF for me personally. I get to live this special life and therefore, I have a responsibility to open up and educate those around me. To me, awareness brings understanding, understanding builds empathy, and empathy accelerates change.

31. Thank you: Biggest thank you for reading this and making it to day 31! I hope you learned a tid bit and continue to enjoy your month- whatever that looks like.

-J