From kicker to hand-holder: Being brave despite cystic fibrosis

From kicker to hand-holder: Being brave despite cystic fibrosis

As a child I was a kicker, the type no nurse wants to be near when wielding needles and throat swabs. Eventually I’d relax my shrieking when Mom or Dad held my hand and called me brave. The nurses were then more warmly received. To be safe, they came bearing diplomatic lollipops, stickers, and another “You’re so brave.” There comes a time when the chronically ill child learns that such rewards are designed to shut them up and soften the next mel…