Well, we made it. This is a big moment for Kayla and I as parents. Not only do we feel the triumph of raising a little human being for a full year, but this particular human is simply amazing! Adalyn is walking, babbling, pointing, hugging, blowing kisses, and getting into all sorts of trouble. We’re so proud of her. Her birthday was a complete success. Sure Mommy and Daddy, waited till the last minute to buy decorations, food, and presents, but the pressures of producing a meaningful first birthday melted away the moment our family started to show up. We’re so thankful to have such a wonderful and supportive bunch of folks on our side. Thank you all for taking the time out of your weekend to come by and celebrate Adalyn’s first birthday with us. We love you all.
Adalyn also has an amazing support system outside of our family. The CF foundation has played an integral role in her first year of her life. To get a better understanding of the CF Foundation’s significance, I better start at the beginning… Neither Kayla nor I had any idea that CF ran in our families. But, as it turns out, we are both carriers of the genetic disorder and that means there was a mere 25% chance that Adalyn would inherent the disease. We chose, of course, to focus on the 75% chance that she would be born a normal, healthy, and thriving little baby. To be 100% prepared for our daughter’s arrival we decided to test Adalyn in vitro to determine whether or not she actually had CF. Unfortunately, it was confirmed that she did indeed inherit both genes, one from each of us thus confirming our worst fear, that our daughter has Cystic Fibrosis.
It wasn’t long ago, that children with cystic fibrosis didn’t live to attend elementary school. But today, thanks to advances in research and medical treatments by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond. We’re so thankful the genetics councilor that handled our testing immediately put us in contact with someone that works hand in hand with the CF Foundation. We’ll never forget that first phone call with someone who knew EXACTLY what we were going through. She knew exactly what to say and she took us off the negative path Kayla and I were headed down and set us straight on the road to acceptance and hope. The foundation has since played an integral role in our daughter’s development. We go to Clinic every quarter, where Adalyn is examined and tested by the best CF team we could hope for. Our daughter is THRIVING, thanks to the team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the amazing medications and treatments developed and funded by the CF Foundation.
We thank God every day that Adalyn’s case of CF has been very manageable so far. We truly believe a cure is right around the corner. The drugs currently in the pipeline have given us hope that this disease CAN be attacked from the genetic level and cured. It’s only a matter of time. Just watch this video! It’s definitely exciting times in the CF community. If you want to support Adalyn and help us realize the cure, please show your support and donate. No amount is too small. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
