Today is my 34th birthday!!!! Not all women are proud to say their age or to say they like getting older. I am a rare breed in that sense. When you throw CF in the mix, getting older is always a blessing. When I was born the life expectancy was around 12 years old. It is now 37.5 years old. It is creeping up there as am I. I am thankful for every year that I have. I am actually looking forward to turning 40 but now I have to wait 6 years…haha.
Now let me explain what the life expectancy means to me. I personally have never thought of the life expectancy age as the end all or the age I will live to or even the age I hope to get to. The life expectancy age is a median age not a number to live by. Whenever I have passed up a life expectancy age, I wave good-bye to it and keep on pressing forward. I am not held by what some mathematical equation says. I know many CFers that are beyond the life expectancy age. It shouldn’t be the thing you focus on. Everyone’s CF is different therefore you can’t compare one to another. When I have gotten to the life expectancy age it has been raised. The life expectancy age is not a deciding factor on what things I can and will do. I plan for the future. I plan to see my bonus kids graduate high school and college, get married and have kids. My husband and I make plans on what we are going to do with our grandchildren…spoil them and send them home of course. I try my best to have a positive view on things. That is not to say that I don’t have my freak out “this sucks” moments because I do. I am Shannon, wife and bonus mom first and happen to have CF. CF falls in the mix but it is not what rules me even though it does take charge at times. I live my life to the fullest and don’t dwell on all the statistics. Why should I go by the books now, I never have. I live the life I was given and make the best of it.
I am thankful for the life I have with the people I love. Here’s to another year!!!!
Until next time…
CF Happens 
Happy Birthday Shannon!
Happy birthday Shannon. I Love the way you love life. How precious it is, how quickly it passes. As I grow older (now 67+ ) I now have less time to live than what I have used up! I don’t know how many more hours, days, months or years The Lord will bless me with, but what ever remains I want it to count only for good helping others in some way if only gifting them with a kind word. Our words are very important, use them carefully & kindly the last thing someone may hear are or remember are the words you spoke. Remember God spoke everything into existence that is. Always remember their is life as well as death in what we speak ( u know this ).
I attended a meeting quit a while back. A group of Abt 12 we were asked the following. “In 5 years from now what do you want to have accomplished” ? Many of us have only selfish motives. As I grow older I realize more & more it is not about me!
As for me I want to do daily & be remembered as a person that loved was kind & genial to everyone he met always helping in what ever way possible using kind caring words leaving them with a smile on their face.
Blessings to you & yours
Live long & prosper Shannon
LOL Bill & Sally Applegate