Featured Blogger: Megan of "Breathing Deeply, Laughing Loudly, and Living Fully"

Keep an eye on the CF Blogroll over the next few months! On the first and third Tuesday of every month, we will be featuring a different blogger from our blogroll. Because May is Cystic Fibrosis awareness month, we will kick of our Featured Blogger series with a new feature every Tuesday during the month of May!

If you'd like to be a Featured Blogger, leave a comment or e-mail beingcindybaldwin AT gmail DOT com, and we'd love to feature you! Don't forget to include your e-mail address so that I can send you a list of interview questions. (Currently, I am posting the interviews in the order that I receive them, so don't be worried if it takes a few weeks for your interview to go up.)

Today's Featured Blogger is Megan from Breathing Deeply, Laughing Loudly, And Living Fully. Megan is another dear friend whose blog has quickly become a favorite for me! She writes beautifully and candidly about cystic fibrosis, infertility, marriage, and her life. In addition to dealing with CF and CF-related infertility, Megan has been hit with a number of really difficult life events in 2012 and has handled them with inspiring grace and courage. Don't forget to pay her blog a visit!

First, tell me a little bit about yourself! 

My name is Megan, and I'm 25 years old. I married one of the nicest, sweetest men in the world on July 2, 2010, and we are currently trying to start a family by undergoing infertility treatments. I currently work part-time as a sales rep, and I hope to keep working through a pregnancy and even go back to work following a birth, but that will depend on my CF.


How old were you when you were diagnosed with CF? What led to your diagnosis?

I was diagnosed at birth with CF. I ended up having a pyloric stenosis and a bowel blockage. Following two major surgeries to repair the issues, they immediately did a sweat test to see if I had CF. I firmly believe that this early diagnosis is a big part of why I'm doing so well today.


What kind of effect has CF had on your life?

This is a big question, and I'm not sure I even fully understand the entire effect CF has had on my life. I will say that I tend to look at everyday is a blessing. I try to enjoy the day at hand, and I don't hold grudges. I also try to look at everything positively because I can't waste my time with negative feelings. CF definitely has led to me thinking about my mortality much sooner than I'd like, but that also has led to me living as full of a life as possible. Sadly, there's not a day that goes by where the progression of my CF is not on my mind. I just try to keep myself as healthy as possible for as long as possible!

When did you start blogging? What led you to start blogging?

I began blogging at the end of August 2011. In July, my husband and I had decided to start trying to conceive. After this decision, I immediately sought out other cysters/fibros who had successful pregnancies. I began reading blog after blog from fellow cysters and fibros, and I decided I wanted to blog my journey as well. After beginning to blog, I also found out that I had infertility which made me even happier that I had started blogging. My hope, when starting my blog, was (and still is) that it would help at least one person in their journey (whether it be their journey with CF or with infertility).

What is your favorite post you've ever written?

There are a few posts that I'm really proud of because I feel they deal with important topics and are also well-written. My favorite post is probably my Advice for the Younger CF Generation. The post deals with things I learned the hard way while growing up with this disease.

What are a few of YOUR favorite CF blogs?

I have a LOT of my favorite CF blogs. I would have to say that the following are ones that I make sure to read as often as possible:

-Being Cindy Baldwin
-Inhaling Hope
-How I Live, Laugh, and Love with CF
-Run Sick Boy Run
-CF Fat Boy

What would be your #1 piece of advice to others with CF?
This question really goes hand-in-hand with my favorite post. I think my ULTIMATE piece of advice to other cysters and fibros is to remember that compliance is KEY. Spending the time to do all the treatments, take all the right medicine, eat the right foods, and do the right amount of exercise can be draining, but it's worth it to keep up your health for as long as possible!