Thanks for a great first year, California...
A little over a year ago I moved half way across the country from Kansas to Northern California and what a great year it has been. Moving out here is one of the best decisions I have ever made and not to be dramatic but it probably saved my life.
When I left Kansas I had just had my second sinus surgery, was a 120 pounds and my FEV1 was 32%, meaning, I could only breathe and function with less than half of my lungs. I was struggling. I knew I needed to find a different Cystic Fibrosis Center that would be able to give me better care and help me have a better quality of life but there was a big part of me that didn’t want to have to move half way across the country and leave all my friends and everything I knew.
**My going away dinner with friends**
Now I’m not a stranger to moving away from Kansas. I moved to St. Louis for college and even moved to New York City to live with my sister. However, that was completely different to me because I always knew my parents, my house, my dogs, and my friends were still there if I moved back. I knew I was never going in live in Kansas my whole life, I just never saw it in my future. But just because I knew I wasn’t going to be living in Kansas for the rest of my life doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard to leave. I’ve lived there pretty much my whole life. That’s where my family is, my friends, my memories. I also knew if I stayed there wouldn’t be as many memories as I know there should be.
It’s been one year since I left Kansas and so many great things have happened, like, being a bridesmaid in my friend Ali’s wedding, visiting Napa and San Francisco with my best friend, and going on so many trips. I probably wouldn’t have been able to experience these things if I were still living in Kansas and not getting amazing care at the Cystic Fibrosis clinic at Stanford. I’ve gained 30 pounds, my FEV1 is at 37% (it has been higher but I am still not at 100% since my last hospital stay), and I have only been in the hospital three times. You may think that’s still a lot of hospital stays but to me it isn't. It has been about four years since I was in the hospital less than five times within a twelve month period.
**Hiking the Stanford Dish**
**San Francisco with my best friend, Kara**
**Napa Valley**
**Ali Penny’s wedding**
**July 4 weekend in Newport Beach, CA**
So, thanks for a great first year, California! Let’s see what this second year will bring me.
