Now does feel like the right time.

As you know about five years ago I started posting in 3rd person. I did it because I was bored and to give the board some levity. It was never meant to offend anyone. If I offended you I am sorry. Sometimes it seems like people take this board a bit too seriously. I just wanted CB to be fun.

I am in my early 40s and have Cystic Fibrosis and CF-induced diabetes. For those who don't know CF is a genetically transmitted disease when both parents are "carriers" of the gene that causes it. Both parents must be carriers for it to be passed on to offspring and may not know they are carriers. My parents discovered I had CF when I was an infant. I was constantly sick and they knew something was wrong. After doing a sodium chloride analysis of my sweat it revealed I had CF. I later developed CF-induced Diabetes (which is a common occurance of those with CF) in my teen years.

So why post this? For a couple of reasons. One I know there are board members with family or friends that have CF. There is hope. When I was born life expectancy was early teens. It is now in the forties. Kudos to those of you who have active supporting your friends and children with the disease. It does make a difference. Advances are being made all of the time due to CF research as well as the attitude of preventative care over reactive care. The second reason is just to let people know that it is possible to overcome your problems. My problems are no different than yours although they may come in a different form. If you are struggling with depression or suicide please seek help. It may seem like you are alone and you cannot be helped. There are good people out there who want to help you. Please don't feel like you are a burden. You are a valuable person.

Sorry for the long post. Contrary to "TNT's" rants there are good people on CB. Carry on.


PS: Sorry DodgerMike. I am not really a Blazers fan.