My Story

I was diagnosed at nine months. Prior to my diagnosis, my parents merely prayed for me to live another day. In those first days, they missed out on dreaming what or who I would be; however it soon became apparent that they didn’t need to question. As I began to gain strength it became clear that I had already become a strong and independent fighter, a survivor.

Being born with a chronic illness changes a person’s motives and expectations in life. For me, it has created an incredible sense of dignity for all that I accomplish and live through along with a burning perseverance for life and all it has to offer. As a child, I understood or came to understand, that I was different than those around me; constantly coughing in class, having doctor’s appointments downstate and needing to go the office every day to take my medication. From this, I became ashamed of having cystic fibrosis, and although my classmates did not label me as a kid of another color—I did. Being an outcast is something that can easily be impossible to overcome, however I learned to adapt to my surroundings and live just as my peers around me did. In doing so, I pushed myself to be an overachiever and someone who never settled for less than what I am capable of. Being an overachiever has created my strong work ethic which ultimately contributes to the person, worker, and student I am.

To be a leader it takes a certain spark inside and a drive to lead their peers to new heights and levels of personal self-worth. Personally, I see that being a leader is a gift—one that deserves to be cherished and utilized to its potential. For this I have learned to define myself as a vivacious personality and an influential leader. Having cystic fibrosis has been more of an obstacle and less of who I am as a person. Instead, I am Kate Campbell, a strong individual, a survivor.