Facing the future - when one has CF

Sometimes we can become so occupied with the present that we don't look towards the future until it is right upon us. This is a situation that can easily happen when one is focused on keeping young children with Cystic Fibrosis [CF] alive.

We do our duty as parents and loved ones with the activities of raising funds and awareness to keep the young people alive, yet there are some considerations that can be easily overlooked. What do I mean? Here are a few:

• If we fulfill our tasks well, they may just live to see adulthood by the grace of God; 
• As we the care provider age, we will retire once we are alive; 
• Our children, though affected in some cases with absences from school, will embark on the world of work, God willing; 
• Their earning capacity may be nowhere near what we are parents provided while they were growing up; 
• Hopefully, they will fulfill their education, however, that usually comes with students loans to repay by already cash strapped families;
• Whatever career they embark upon will be impacted by their illnesses on occasion, not everyone's geared for entrepreneurship though it would be nice to totally command one's working arrangements. 
• Insurance to maintain someone with CF when they become adults would have to be researched, and the premiums would have to be affordable so that they can be met by the CF sufferer. 
• Will companies in Barbados, adopt policies to enable them to adequately hire someone affected with CF once they possess the requisite skills and abilities;
• We can go on, as there seem to be more questions than answers. 

I saw this article [click here]  which may give some insights as to how employer/employees can foster relationships that are win/win, and it would take mature minds to implement similar policies. One thing is certain, we at The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Barbados can never stop raising the bar in making people aware of this illness. 

Even as we begin 2019, and thank everyone for the support we were given in the past, we have recognized that we haven't even really scratched the future with regards to building awareness. This is especially when we consider the future and how it needs to be faced with the options presented. 

Though we put in the work, we may not be totally ready, but we have to readily equip our young CF sufferers to earn a living for themselves in their years to come, so that as they cope with their health issues, they can still have some experiences like others who lead reasonably normal lives without health issues. 

We are "Aware to care"!