We as Americans, seem to take so many of the luxuries we have for granted. We complain if it takes more than 10 seconds to load a page on our laptops, we act like it's the end of the world when pizza isn't being served in the cafeteria.

We announce boredom because all we have is a computer with internet connection, a nintendo wii with over hundreds of games to play, and so many applications.

We announce starvation because all we have in the fridge is yogurt and ham and milk and packaged vegetables. We question why the world is so unfair because we don't have any blueberry waffles left.

But not all of us. All that I want, is a set of healthy lungs. Cystic Fibrosis is tough, it is unpredictable and can at times be frightening. But as life with this chronic illness is all I've ever known, I could not live without it. It's given me an interesting perspective on the world, and an appreciation for the things we do have.

Of course there are many people who have it worse than me, but there are also many who have it better than I. But you can never put peoples pain on a scale. To an individual, all they know is that they are suffering. Whether it be a battle against cancer, a battle against depression, dealing with the flu, or even a child that scraped their knee. Tangible or not, pain is pain, and pain is something we all hate.

This is not information that I found from some website, this is not information that I read in a textbook. These are my words, and the source is my own mind. This is life as I see it.