![]() ![]() Shortly after starting this job, I also embarked on another new adventure. ![]() (I have faced the expensive reality that caffeine is often what I need to make it through the day.) Altogether, these elements allow time for the daily self-care that is so fundamental as a person with CF. We even have the convenience of a coffee shop that’s literally steps away from our door. I brought in a microwaveable heat pack to help ease my ongoing neck pain, I keep a mug and some tea at my desk, and I listen to music while I tidy therapy rooms. What has really made a world of difference at work has been inviting some comforts of home into my routine. I am six months into my new pediatric therapy aide role, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for pushing through the adjustment period and making it all work. I could not be more relieved about how it all eventually came together. When I got offered the job I have now, I momentarily considered turning it down when my anxiety about the long days felt more powerful than my enthusiasm for everything else about it. I had a decision to make, and it came with risks. In theory, working more hours per week sounded appealing. At that point, it became clear to me that I was ready to take a new career step, and I considered transitioning to a full-time position. I enjoyed just over a year at that first clinic. Plus, working in the afternoons meant I could begin the day with a peaceful morning. I was grateful for my part-time schedule because it meant I could settle into the COVID working world comfortably. At that point, the COVID-19 pandemic was well under way, and I was apprehensive about exposing myself to the world while having an underlying health condition. However, part of me is devastated at the thought that I may never actually make it that far.Īfter I graduated college in May 2020, I started my first “real” job as a part-time physical therapy office assistant in the fall. What if the hospital or clinic setting wasn’t a safe environment and my lung function plummeted? What if I’d spent a fortune on school, and by the time it came to using that degree in a career, I was too sick to do so? For many years now, I’ve been excited about the possibility of becoming an OT. In college, I questioned whether it was even worth it to pursue a postgraduate OT degree. I could hardly make it through the day without a nap. I knew I was often exhausted during the day, and I presumed a 40-hour work week would just be too taxing on my body. However, the more I thought about it, the more doubtful I became about my ability to maintain a traditional, full-time job. I knew with certainty as early as my sophomore year of high school that I wanted to be an occupational therapist (OT). It was a pretty unrealistic representation of what having a job was like, but it was the most fun and low-key introduction to work life I can imagine. ![]() Truthfully, I feel as though I can hardly label those seven hours per week as a job. My very first job was a work-study position as a receptionist for my freshman residence hall in college. Needless to say, I never had the time or energy for an actual job. For many years, I was a student, which also felt like a full-time job. Without doing breathing treatments or taking medications every day, I simply couldn’t be a functional person. Over the years, I’ve heard managing CF referred to as having a “full-time job,” and I absolutely stand behind that statement. They knew my health was more important, and my academics came second. In my case, my parents never pushed me to get one while I lived under their roof. High school jobs - even casual summer ones - are seen as rites of passage for most teens in our society. I’ve had some incredible “normal” milestones, too: I got to travel in Europe during college, and I completed my undergraduate degree in 2020. These events, like all milestones, mark significant changes in my life. Trikafta ® entered the scene when I was 22. When I was 21, I transitioned to an adult CF center and got a whole new care team. At age 15, I started holding myself accountable for doing my vest and nebulizer treatment regularly. For instance, I learned how to swallow pills at age 8. Growing up with a chronic illness brings its own set of unexpected, momentous occasions. Having been diagnosed as an infant, life with cystic fibrosis is the only one I have known. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |