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Breathing Room has lots in store
for the year. If you would like to share your personal
stories, news items or poetry with us, please contact:
us at: info at thebreathingroom.org.
Stories, Poems
and opinions of participants are their own, and not necessarily
those of the Breathing Room organization.
Please visit
cfmessageboard.com to connect with members of the CF
community online.
Breathing Room
facilitates candid and open
communication between adults with Cystic Fibrosis,
supports the development of a community of adults with CF
and provides education and insight for families, caregivers,
and medical professionals who impact our lives.
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Joe Lindic
Born in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland and diagnosed with CF at age 10, Joe
reports that he lived through age 20 in denial of CF, refusing to take care
of himself or make any concessions to the disease. Then at the age of 20, he
was hospitalized for the first time with what would be three collapsed lung
episodes. By his mid 20's, he finally started up the CF learning curve about
ways of coping with CF. During this time, he worked full time as a machinist
and drove a racecar on weekends.
Joe read about another racecar driver with CF in California, Kimberly Myers, and they
became very close friends. Joe soon moved to California, where he found a
close-knit CF community. He joined this community and soon contributed much
support to those who were hospitalized at Stanford, where he received
treatments. Among the close CF friends he made in California, he lost
several, including his soulmate, Kimberly.
He continued to work full time as a machinist until his declining health
finally forced him to face taking disability. Joe moved back to Ohio at age
31. In Ohio he has pursued lung transplant, but has been declined as a
candidate at both Cleveland and Pittsburgh due to the nature of special risk
in his case. In typical Joe style, however, he has re-ignited his campaign
to be accepted for TX at UCSF or Stanford. While Joe is on oxygen nearly
full time and has to do multiple treatments per day, he continues to give
support to members of the CF community wherever he is, including
participation in the activities of The Breathing Room.
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