She looks just like everybody else. Walking down the hall, you would never guess that she’s any different than you or me. On the outside, she looks perfectly healthy. Yet inside she carriers a life-threatening disease that she has to deal with every day. Her reaction? She smiles and shrugs her shoulders. “I have cystic fibrosis,” she says. “It’s no big deal.”
Senior Lauren Pennington was diagnosed at the age of 9. Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects the lungs, causing mucous buildup and making it difficult to breathe. It can also prevent food from digesting correctly. It is a genetic disease, inherited when both parents are carriers.
“The doctor decided to test me for CF to rule it out,” Lauren said. “It turned out that was the problem.”
After she was diagnosed, Lauren’s life completely changed. She now had to take time out of her day for medication and breathing treatments. As an elementary student, she was forced to adjust to a whole new world.
“I had less time to hang out with friends because of medication,” Lauren said. “It made school really hard.”
Growing up, Lauren said she felt a little different at first. Soon, however, it became a natural routine for her and her friends. Although she is currently on 18 different medications and has to take three breathing treatments a day, she doesn’t let it keep her from being a normal teenager. She remains active, despite all the odds. Lauren is involved in choir, NHS, and Student Crime Stoppers.
“I can do anything I want,” Lauren said. “My doctor even encourages me to do more things to work out my lungs. Singing is really good for them.”
CF is incurable, and is ranked as one of the most widespread genetic life-threatening diseases. It can make a minor sickness, such as a cold, quickly escalate into something much more dangerous. Lauren has already been hospitalized 6 times. She has to be especially careful with respiratory illnesses, which can further complicate her lung problems. In spite of all the difficulties, Lauren said this disease has changed her entire outlook.
“It’s given me perspective on how to live my life,” Lauren said. “I need to be determined to live a long time.”
After high school Laure plans on attending either Baylor or TCU and majoring in fashion merchandising. Her faith, which has been a big support, is something that she will carry with her the rest of her life. She believes that it could be worse, and someday she’ll know why she was given this disease.
“Faith has helped by reminding me I’m much better off than most people,” Lauren said. “God’s given me this for a reason and I have to find His purpose for it.”
