Laughter is the Best Chest PT: February 2021

Friday, February 26, 2021

Happy Purim!

Initially I wasn't going to make a costume or bother with a theme for my shalach manos, but I decided that would just make Purim even MORE depressing. So instead, my costume pretty much sums up how life feels right now! Despite everything, I got to go outside a bit and see a few people and even have a delicious meal from Izzy's Smokehouse. And then I got a rambling blessing in Yiddish from an outrageously drunk chasid, so overall I'd say my Purim was a success!

Hopefully next year we'll finally be able to celebrate together in person!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Snow day sculpting!

A solid storm with perfect sculpting snow means I got to make my first REAL snow sculpture since before transplant! 3 years ago Katherine and Frank had to pile up the snow for me because my lung function was too low to manage it. I still needed Katherine's help today, but I also was able to do more than half of the heavy lifting myself! Yay new lungs!! And so, in today's edition of snowmen are for amateurs, I'm proud to present: Kimba!

About the Name

Chest PT is one of the most common treatments for CF, in which the chest is pounded on either by hand or using a machine to help break up the congestion and make it easier to cough out. When I was around 13 years old, during one hospitalization I became friends with two other girls who had CF. This was before they knew about the risks of cross-infection, so the three of us spent every day hanging out in each other’s rooms talking and laughing up a storm. Inevitably, the laughter would lead to all three of us launching into massive coughing fits, similar to the effects of chest PT. And so, “Laughter is the best chest PT” quickly became our catchphrase.