Opening To "I Survived"

I have been working on a memoir I'm titling "I Survived" for quite some time and today I put together the first part of the opening to my book. There is much editing and adding to be put into this but for a first jot down, I really liked how it came out. I thought I would share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Foremost I want to thank you for picking this book to read amongst all the other you could have consumed your time with. This book won’t be at all what you are expecting. This is not only my story, but also the story of others in the same situation. I will introduce you to a disease known as Cystic Fibrosis. I will refer to it as CF typically. Don’t know what CF is? I’ve got that covered also. You will read about the scientific aspect first before my story starts. I want you, my dear reader, to understand the disease thoroughly so there is no confusion or question deep into these pages. Like with all things, this disease has its positives and negatives. That is where I come in. I carry a perspective that is not seen in most of humanity. Through out you will learn I have always lived my life one day at a time, very literally. I worry about today, never tomorrow. It is to my understanding that most people living with CF have the same mentality. To sum up the quantity of the duration, I have lived close to half of my life in the hospital. I know what it is like to feel trapped in ones own body and mind. I have faced deep depression. I grew up as a special needs child. I know the terror of going into crowds. I know the feeling of death. I have felt the gratification of a new life. I have learned through trial and error to take no one and nothing for granted.

My goal is not for my reader to feel sorrowful for me, but rather to be inspired by my story and maybe learn a thing or two about themselves. Through my story may my reader possibly see a new light in their lives or an answer they have been yearning for. Most of all, this book is meant to fulfill a life long dream of mine. I have always wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. I have always hoped to help better someone by using my disease; whether that is through creating a fundraiser, sharing my story, mentoring, being in a video, or writing a book.

You are about to dive into the story of my life with Cystic Fibrosis. Day by day was very routine for me, which would make for a dreadfully boring book. No. I will rely on the major events that impacted my life the most as I grew up. Within each story there is a defeat and a victory. I feel I must warn you; detailing the life of someone living with Cystic Fibrosis is reassuringly frustrating, devastating, overwhelming and down right disgusting in every way possible. However, this disease has its beauty hidden. I was taught patience, tenderness, and gratitude. I learned to cherish all 5 of the senses. I learned when to speak up and when to comply. I learned deep self-respect. My favorite thing I was given by CF was my appreciation for time.

I realized many dominating things in my life. Everyone’s heard the saying “If you can’t learn to love yourself, how can you love anyone else?” In my late teenage years I realized that saying in a much deeper ideal. If I couldn’t love myself, not only who I am as a person, but also myself with CF, how could I ever be happy with anything?

“Today I choose to live my life with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests inside my spirit, and the voice of hope that says…all things are possible!”- Anonymous