Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

For many of us there comes a time in our lives when we just don’t want to celebrate, or even acknowledge, our birthday each year. The mere fact that it formalizes we are another year older can be downright nauseating. For some it’s in their 40’s or 50’s when they want to fast forward through the day with blinders on. You’re only as old as you feel. Bull.

Thankfully, kids treat their birthdays a little differently. They look forward to presents and being spoiled a little bit and in our household birthdays seem to last about a month! Birthdays also bring them closer to milestones along the path to adulthood. [Spoiler alert: Deirdre has her learner’s permit!]

I am also aware of a small subset of the population (well, 2 actually) who celebrate TWO birthdays each year.

Deirdre (16) celebrates her birth day as well as the day she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). She calls this her “CystiBirthday”. And one of her closest friends has diabetes and she, too, celebrates the day she “received the results” – she calls this her “DiaBirthday”.

They make the best of the cards they were dealt and are there for each other on good days and bad days. Unless you have a diagnosis day then none of us can relate to how they actually feel about the day.

This is the kind of person Deirdre is: celebrating life each and every day despite challenges and adversity. We are all very blessed to have her and her sisters Leah (20) and Theresa (18) in our lives. Gifts from Heaven.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that makes the body produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to respiratory infections and other problems. Deirdre lives with it every single day from the pills, multiple inhalers / nebulizers, nasal rinses and sprays and a vibrating vest that performs chest physiotherapy freeing her lungs of the mucus that builds up.

Maureen and I are looking forward to another day to give cause for celebration – the day a cure is found for CF. In the meantime, we need to keep Deirdre healthy enough so she can blow out all the candles on the massive cake we’ll have for her – don’t worry, you’ll be invited!

We participated in the Dedham walk on May 21st.

Thank you very much for all you have done and for all we ask of you to help find a cure.

Last year we raised $30,000 bringing our total to $360,000 since we started 16 years ago!!

Thank you,

Peter & Maureen