Rocking CF Everday!

By Emily Schaller of www.letsrockcf.org

“I was completely blown away when I came across Spencer and Evan’s site Living Indubiously, a Warriors Guide. I felt really connected to these guys not only because we all have Cystic Fibrosis but how similar our outlooks on life are and our ideas on dealing with CF.

Adherence, exercise, proper nutrition and most importantly a positive outlook are the four main things that I use to “Rock CF.” I have seen too many CF patients, others living with chronic illnesses and most shocking healthy individuals who are so negative and don’t believe that they can take their life by the horns and run the show. Life is so precious and some people take it for granted never learning how lucky they are to be alive.

Keeping up with all of my treatments and medicine is key. I play drums in a rock band called Hellen and have some late nights here and there. It may be easy to just skip my meds because it is too late or I am too tired but that can turn into a habit and could land me in the hospital on IV’s antibiotics. 

I have always been very active but just in the past couple of years I started to really push my body to the max. In the fall of 2006 I started training for a 5K race. Once that race was completed I went on to 10K and just kept going. Currently I am training for a half marathon (13.1 Miles) that I will run in the spring of 2008. This past summer I rode my bike from Detroit to Chicago with my friend and am planning to do so again this summer. There aren’t too many days where I am not exercising and on the one to two days a week I take off I actually feel guilty. Whether it is running or riding my bike trainer or lifting weights I am always doing something to enrich the quality of my life.

Growing up I was always told to eat as much fat and as many calories as I could. So I did! Being pancreatic insufficient I of course wasn’t able to absorb all of that fat so I never was overweight and never thought about what I was eating. Something struck me a couple of years ago though and I thought maybe eating all of this junk food isn’t good for my body. I thought I can get the same amount of calories from eating food that was way better for me and is full of rich vitamins and antioxidants. So since then I make sure I eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Recently I started to love salmon so I eat that as much as I can as well as tuna or shrimp two to three times a week. I am a huge whole-wheat person and drink my sixty-four ounces or more of water each day. Oh and I try to sneak in a green tea most days too. These foods help feed my body the nutrition I need while delivering good calories.

Since my “lifestyle” change a couple years ago I have never felt this great! My pulmonary function has climbed to the highest it has been in over five years and I have not been on IV’s in over sixteen months. This is a record for me since I am usually in one to two times every year. Each day I thrive on exercising and eating great food to keep me feeling this well. I never look at my life and think that I am unlucky for having cystic fibrosis. Instead CF has helped make me the person I am today and I would not trade it in for anything. This year I founded the Rock CF Foundation and am trying to raise funds and spread awareness about CF through the arts, entertainment, fashion and fitness. These are all things that are important to me and I hope can help me teach others about CF and include them in our fight to Rock CF.

It is pretty incredible all of the ideas Evan, Spencer and I share. We are trying to inspire people to go beyond their normal CF routines and add an exercise routine. After hearing how diet has affected these guys it really gives me hope that what I am doing is working.”

Make sure to visit Emily’s website at www.letsrockcf.org, and also visit www.myspace.com/hellenofdetroit for Emily’s band Hellen.