I had read in several interviews that she didn't make mention of CF so that the others wouldn't identify her as "the sick girl".
The few times it was an issue on the show was:
- the first night they were all drinking and smoking on the deck, she told everyone and some of them kind of freaked out
- when working on the boat in the damp weather, she requested time off the boat, which was met with disdain from the boss. (People with CF have very irritable airways, and damp, cold, very dry or very humid air can make the smaller airways collapse (like in asthma), making it much harder to clear the gunk in there).
- when she was very upset and possibly sick, she was dragging around her blanket and curled up under the stairs, and she was coughing
- when someone questioned her smoking
CF is an incidious disease. Years ago, many kids didn't make it a few years. When I was born, they said I wouldn't see kindergarten, then HS, then 25... and the median life expectancy is 36-37. However, as patients live longer due to treatments and preventive measures, other organs are failing and complicate quality of life.
For what it's worth, my chapter has nominated the CF Foundation for Gamma Sig's national 2-year project, and my alumnae chapter has already voted them as one of our pet service groups.
If anyone is interested in working with the Foundation, the web address is below. There are a lot of events to work on, or you can have your own fundraiser. There is no cure, and not likely in any of our lifetimes, but research can make, and has made, the difference between 5 years and 35 years.
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