Every Breath I Take by Chynna Levin & Claire Wineland

Author:Chynna Levin & Claire Wineland [Levin, Chynna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2012-11-07T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

the foundation

after the coma, things were definitely tough, both physically and emotionally, but something really amazing also came out of the experience—Claire’s Place Foundation. Although we have many different resources now, inspiration struck because of one simple fact—it’s tough to travel with cystic fibrosis.

An Idea

in a lot of ways, traveling is never easy. You have to pack, deal with planes or other transportation, and sometimes even leave behind the friends and family that help support you. However, all of that is much more difficult to do when you have CF, or any illness, for that matter.

I love to travel; it’s one of my favorite things. For me, it’s one of the few “normal” things I have in my life. I’m not saying that I need normal or even want it. I enjoy my crazy, totally abnormal life. But traveling is the one thing I can do that doesn’t make me feel like a typical CF kid. When I’m traveling, I’m not the sick kid; I’m just a girl who is traveling. It’s the one thing that lets me get away and leave my history behind—rather than dealing with doctors and procedures, I get to have amazing traveling adventures.

However, traveling has never been easy, even when I was younger and didn’t have all of the medical equipment I’ve had to start using since the coma. It isn’t just the packing and moving around that’s a pain, though. It takes a real effort of strength not to be afraid, to leave behind friends, family, doctors, and hospitals that have been a safety net.

When I’m traveling, it’s tough not to think, “What if I start seizing? What if my lungs fail again?” It’s very hard emotionally. You’re away from the places and people that make you feel safe. That’s also part of the thrill of it, though. It’s a time when you don’t get to rely on hospitals or doctors. You have to rely on yourself, and that can be an amazing feeling.

Back when I was just starting to come out of the coma, I was remembering the strange visions I’d had when I was in that dream world. It was this amazing place with icy glaciers, rolling green mountains, and beautiful crystal coves. It was gorgeous, and I really wanted to go there. When I started to feel well enough, I decided to try and track it down, Googling everything I could remember about the scenery. I found pictures of Alaska and realized it was just what I had seen in my dream.

At the time I didn’t think I could travel at all because I needed to have a certain amount of lung function to leave Los Angeles, and I wasn’t there yet, but I told my mom about Alaska. She was excited and told me that she had just spoken with my doctor, who had given her the good news—my lung function had increased to the point where I could travel again. Suddenly, going to Alaska was a real possibility.

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