CF

Have you watched the movie "Five Feet Apart"? This article has something to do with that movie.

I watched this even though am not a fan of romance movies but I recommend this because I find it a good one (spoiler: i love tragic stories if it's romance 😅). I'm not here to do a movie review tho, I want to talk about the center of their tragedy which is their disease. Both of the characters have this illness called Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis or CF is a disorder which can be inherited caused by mutations in gene called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Having this disease causes severe damage to lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. It affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices. Furthermore the thick mucus clogs certain organs, such as the lungs, pancreas, and intestines. This may cause malnutrition, poor growth, frequent respiratory infections, breathing problems, and chronic lung disease.

Unfortunately, CF has no cure. However, there are various treatments that can help control the symptoms, prevent or reduce complications, and make the condition easier to live with. Depending on the person's needs, appointments with doctors and care plan are needed regularly. The life expectancy of a person with this condition is 27 years. Usually, the diagnosis of this can be seen at early age through new born screening, but some instances exist that there are those who were diagnosed as an adult through performing series of tests.

People with this condition should never meet each other, as they carry bacteria within their lungs that could be harmful to both of them. Same reason why the characters in Five feet apart movie should maintain distance. In the movie they should be six feet apart, watch it so you'll know why the title says five not six haha no more spoilers.

Before ending this article, here are the the most common symptoms of CF respiratory tract disease.

• Chronic coughing (dry or coughing up mucus)

• Recurring chest colds

• Wheezing or shortness of breath

• Frequent sinus infections

• Very salty-tasting skin

Sometimes, problems in life make it hard to breathe for us, whenever you want to give up, think about those people who only enjoy their lives in a just a matter of time- with difficulty of breathing in between.

I am not invalidating each and everyone struggles, with disease or without, personal struggles or whatever challenge you're in, I just want to remind you to keep fighting.

Hope you learned something, thank you for your stay🤗