What an Achievement!
This Could Be You
Hi my name is Elaine Betts and at 3 years of age I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis but have managed to have quite an interesting, entertaining and challenging life.
I’m now 36 years old and don’t quite know how I have managed to survive for this length of time not because of my CF but because I am so sarcastic.
I have been very lucky in life because my mom, dad and brother have always supported me and encouraged me to do things that other people think are impossible. They regretted this as my health deteriorated as everyone wanted me to take it easy but I wouldn’t stop pushing myself to the full…all I can say is they brought it on themselves!
At six years of age I decided I wanted to take up gymnastics but back in the olden days the clubs wouldn’t accept children until they were seven years old, I was very disappointed and so took up ballroom, disco and Latin American dancing. I gained all of my dance medals and then gave up dancing at the age of eighteen when I discovered pubs and night clubs.
At sixteen I left school and went into full time employment whilst attending night school to gain additional qualifications. To this day I am still studying as well as working full time.
Throughout my life I have always managed my CF drugs, nebuliser and physio and of course the dreaded diet of as much fat as possible!
In October 1993 I had my first transplant assessment at Wythenshawe Hospital, at this time I thought I was too well for a transplant and the doctors agreed. I told them I wouldn’t need a transplant for another ten years; little did I know how right I would be.
In 1995 I was put on the active transplant list which was very scary but then after eight months my health stabilised. I was ‘frozen’ on the transplant list, which means they wouldn’t look for a donor but would closely monitor my health and as soon as it started to deteriorated again I would go back on the active list.
In about 2000 my I.V drugs started to become more regular and so I found a way to continue to have a life and manage the drugs. I used to take my I.V’s into work and administer them whilst I was working in Training and Development. At first people were shocked and didn’t know how to respond but it didn’t take them long to accept me, my madness, sarcasm, very loud laugh, loud personality, my drugs and my needles. I even managed to go the gym whilst I was on I.V’s (this is the new modern term called multi tasking).
In July 2002 I had another transplant assessment. In November I get offered a new job which I accepted and then a week later in November 2002 it was agreed by the hospitals that it was time for me to go back on the active transplant list. I wasn’t sure how to break this to my current manager or my new manager, I was afraid that the job offer would be retracted but to my delight all managers were very supportive about my transplant and I started my new job in January 2003.
During this time my health really started to deteriorate and my new manager wasn’t very supportive. I had a very hard decision to make and in November 2003 decided to give up working and studying. Unfortunately, and much to the horror of the CF team, I decided to apply for another full time job in January 2004 which I got and commenced in June 2004. Again my new employee was very supportive of my CF and my impending death or transplant.
Again I used to do my I’V’s on a monthly basis at work and became known for always eating high calorie foods and for taking Jaffa Cakes everywhere, the things you do to keep the dieticians quiet, the dieters in the office used to really envy me and I used to wave the food in front of them…oh how I like to encourage people to lose weight!
By September 2004 I finally had to admit defeat and accept that I needed oxygen, much to the relief of the CF team, who had been trying to get me to have oxygen for ages, but hey why make their jobs easy!
The following years of excitement in my life were very challenging but I’ve never been a defeatist so continued to battle on. I refused to just sit around at home waiting to die and was determined to make the most of a bad situation so I worked full time, took my liquid oxygen into work, had a few weeks a year without chest infections, studied after work for a Diploma in Training and Development, sat four exams and then ended up in hospital the following day with kidney failure. The good news is I drove the doctors mad and passed all of my exams.
With my strong, positive, attitude I even took my oxygen cylinder to the gym. It’s amazing how people suddenly avoid you when you have oxygen and the look of horror and disgust on their faces is priceless, but I didn’t care all I wanted to do was to keep my muscles strong so that I had a better chance of recovering from my transplant.
Luckily for me a donor was found and on the 30th June 2006, as after a three and a half year wait I finally had my life changing double lung transplant. If anyone is considering having a transplant the only thing I will say is that you have really got to want to survive and are willing to put in the effort and hard work that is required for success.
The transplant has completely transformed my life, its now truly amazing, yes I still have a lot of medication but no I.V’s, no oxygen, love food and I’m hoping to be nebuliser free in the very near future...
I am now trying to catch up on lost time; I have been quad biking, which I loved so very much, danced until 3am in the morning without even coughing, went on my first holiday abroad since my transplant, returned to full time work and starting a CIPD degree, go to the gym several times a week, my instructor remembers me from when I used to take my oxygen, do aerobics and body combat classes which I have never been able to do before and can now do the breathing exercise just as good as everyone else in the class. Life is just FANTASTIC
I never knew breathing was so easy and I thought life was fun before but now it’s beyond words. Its very strange now as I seem to be putting on weight compliments of the steroids so for the first time in my life I am trying to eat healthy low calories foods, this is the biggest things I have had to get used to and still get a shock when I see my fat face in the mirror, but this is just a very very small price to pay for living a fun thrilled, cough free, energetic life…
To celebrate my new lease of life and to have yet another new experience, I have just completed the Great Manchester 10km Run which I walked to raise money for the Wythenshawe Transplant Fund New Start Charity. My friend carried all of my medication and encouraged me round the course which took me 1 hour 51 minutes and 20 seconds to complete. Out of 28,000 people, my finishing position was 20,994, so at least I didn’t come last.
The following day I experienced a lot of pain in my lungs and back and spent the afternoon in bed but despite this I can’t wait to do it all again next year, hopefully improve my results and run further!
Having never been able to do anything like this in my life proves that transplants really do change people’s lives.
So where ever you are and what ever you are doing, appreciate the people around you that are trying to help and support you, make the most of what you have got and enjoy life.
