Taking A Break

Today is Cierra's first official day as a senior. Aaah!! So exciting. While Ce and most of my friends will be starting classes today, I will not. After much careful consideration and seeking of advice from all the right people, I have decided to take a semester off.

As many of you know, my last semester took quite a toll on me and my health. While I love school and always enjoy my classes, I think it would be best to make sure my health is on solid footing before I run myself into the ground again. Three of my four college semesters have ended with me in the hospital and I'm not eager to go through that again. Hopefully a few months off will allow me to focus on my treatments, raise my lung function numbers, and get the bugs that keep causing these severe exacerbations under control. Fingers crossed!

There was another major factor in this decision: my 93 year old grandpa. His health is failing quickly and I'm afraid that he won't be around much longer, much less at the end of the semester. His wife, my 80 year old grandma, also needs help and support as she has decided to keep him at home during his final months despite her failing health as well. Taking some time off of school will allow me to spend precious time with my grandpa and help Grandma care for him and herself.

Come spring I plan to enter the EKG Technician Certification course at TMCC. This course would open up a wealth of career opportunities while allowing me to finish my degree when I feel healthier. I'm pretty excited about this plan.

I've spoken to a few people who have adamantly argued against this decision but I'm confident that this is the best option for me right now. So much of Cystic Fibrosis is about getting ahead of infections and taking preventative actions; this is my preventative action. Thank you to my Aunt Maria, my dad, Allie, Grandma Inez and Cierra for being so supportive and just plain amazing. I love them!