Leon Breukelman is a 17 -year old from Netherlands. He has the Cystic Fibrosis, or more commonly known (and easily pronounced) as CF, which is a chronic disease, but keeps his views positive in life. Below is my interview with Leon on living with CF.
Me: Hi Leon!
Leon: Hiya Nat!
Me: How are you?
Leon: I'm fine now, nothing really special going on.
Me: Good to hear! Moving on, when did you first discover that you have CF?
Leon: Haha going to the point? Well... I don't remember when I first knew, but my parents found out when I was about 3 weeks old. Then they knew for sure.
Me: I am a very straightforward person, haha... Anyway, going back a bit, can you explain a bit about CF?
Leon: Okay... CF is short for Cystic Fibrosis. Actually the only thing it does is that it makes the slime in your whole body, what you really have everywhere, really thick, which then makes the organs and pretty much all of the body very weak. But the thing is that CF is pretty random. It changes for each person.
Me: How so?
Leon: For example there is something that change for sure, but there are two variations in it, which then for everyone is different. And that is the eating. Like I used to eat next to nothing, not even drink. I was, and still am, very light. But there are also people who can't stop eating and are very fat.
Me: How does CF hinder you from living normally, sans the eating?
Leon: Hm... Actually a hard question since I'm not sure what normal living is. I've had this always. But I eat relatively slow and what for most people would seem a little. Further the coughing, condition and medication are problems in normal life.
Me: Coughing? Does that mean CF affects the lungs, too?
Leon: Yep. The lungs are the place where slime is the most. It's officially a lung disease, although it affects other parts of the body too.
Me: What kinds of medication are you required to go under? Do you often have to stay in the hospital?
Leon: I am proud to say that I take relatively not much pills. I only have the basic ones. Those would be enzymes which help me take the vitamins and other out of the food. And antibiotics, which as you may guess kill bacteria. Furth I take a lot of vitamin pills just to give it a boost. and I've heard that normal patients with CF have to go to the hospital for 2 weeks for antibiotics 4 times a year but I normally had a maximum of 2 times a year. The things is, last 3 years I've had lung bleedings for which I needed operations. I've had 5 so far with one cancelled.
Me: Lung bleedings mean you cough out blood?
Leon: Yep. Slime mixed with blood. Apparantly the medications I take hurt my body, and thus some veins in my lungs are really fragile and tend to break easily. When that happens to a slight big veins I need to get an operation and they have to weld it shut so it doesn't bleed anymore.
Me: Ouch. Are they more painful than the usual cough?
Leon: Not painful, I just can't stop coughing then. and it's really horrifying to see you puke up your own blood.
Me: Going back more, were you born in CF or did you get it at some point of your infancy?
Leon: CF is a chronical disease. It's decided by the genes, so everyone gets born with it. It's not contagious or something.
Me: I've read that CF shortens a person's life span drastically, and now you are nearly 18. How do you comment on that?
Leon: I don't really have an opinion on that, but I can say that 10 years ago the expected age was 30 highest. Now it's around 50. But that too varies with the individual, like I was said not to make my 15th and a friend was say not to make his 8th, while he is 21 now.
Me: How do your family and friends support you with your sickness? Do a lot of people tease you?
Leon: My friends and family are used to it, so they don't notice it that much, except when something is wrong. Of course my friends tease me a little bit with it, but nothing that hurts or such. Just playful teasing although I have to say that my friends somethimes get me better then my family.
Me: You are living being uncertain that you will reach old age. Does this affect your view of life?
Leon: Nope, not at all. I've always thought that you should live your live to the fullest. Live every day like you want to live it. If I'm happy, I'm happy. If I'm sad, I'm sad. I don't plan too much ahead though, since I don't know whether I'll get sick or such. Like with the lungbleedings there is always a chance it'll happen. I just try to live how I want and I want to spend it on the internet with my friends.
Me: One and last question, can CF be cured?
Leon: Technically, no. medically, no. But I've been in that business for a long time now and I've tried many things. That friend of 21 I told you about doesn't have any problems anymore, only have the medication for the enzymes. No antibiotics, no vitamins. I'm doing the same thing he did, but it does take many years before I'm as far as he is. and that it isn't approved by the medical world doesn't bother me at all
Me: Alright. Thank you for the time and answers, Leon. Hope you'll get as well as, if not better, than your 21-year-old friend. Nice talking to you!
Leon: Yes thanks! Was fun talking to you too Nat!
And thus was my interview with Leon. Hopefully this can provide us more good insight in life. Have an adventurous day!
~Chro
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