Dear friends,

Thank you so much for reading our blog, for supporting our project, and for caring about CF, lung health and transplantation.

I hope you this entry finds you in good health. It’s Earth Day today, and I’m writing to celebrate and give thanks to our natural world for keeping us all alive.

I am extremely thankful for our country’s environmental policies that protect our water and especially air. I remember my childhood in Los Angeles when my eyes would burn and lungs would tighten everytime I visited downtown Los Angeles.  At least in Northern California, we can appreciate fresh clear air most of the time, thanks to Breathe California and other advocates. It’s hard to think of all the infants who die everyday around the world just because of bad water, and many who struggle with poor air quality, while Ana and I are being kept alive with extreme medical technology.

Today I have mixed feelings. As a person who has received a lung transplant, my carbon footprint is extremely high. And that means Ana  has twice the carbon footprint with two transplants! We’ve been kept alive with chemicals for 38 years. All those chemicals take energy to produce and probably secrete toxins into the environment into the process. I’m so incredibly grateful to be alive, but also feel guilty. I know other friends with CF who feel the same way.

Even now, I wash my hands probably 4 times more than the average person. I eat and drink slightly more than a normal person. We still use chemicals to keep ourselves alive. We lather up in sunblock before swimming in the ocean. We excrete medication byproducts into our water system. I use  ALOT of bleach in my house. We use many more papertowels and napkins so I can eat food in a sanitary way. And of course, Ana and I travel the world speaking about CF and transplant. So our carbon footprint remains high.

Sadly, the best way to reduce the carbon footprint is to die.  But technology has kept us alive. So now it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to compensate for how much energy we consume and how much pollution we contribute.

So what can we do about this? We try to live as simply as possible. Note the word ‘try’. I try not to waste things, I try to reuse things, wear clothes for many times before washing them (ask my husband), I try to recycle, I try to eat healthy foods, I try to drive less, shop carefully, etc. I have made a habit out of drinking from my water bottle (and never using plastic bottles-they are evil!) and bringing canvas bags whenever I shop. I heat my home to no warmer than 65 in the winter. We recycle our medications and give them to those who need them. I plant water-saving plants in my garden, buy Energy Star (for whatever that’s worth) and I also drive a hybrid. My earth friendly friend said, “The best thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to not have children.” Well, that works for us.

Now for a change of heart, a justification. I have several friends with CF and/or post- transplant complications, who are in and out of the ICU, fighting for their lives. It is so unfair. I am sending many prayers and positive wishes to C.W., E.H., and M.M. I want my friends to survive. I’m sorry to say, I just don’t care about carbon footprints when it comes to their lives. 

But for those of us who have a choice, I hope we can be mindful of our consumption not just today but everyday.

I end this short post with a blessing to Earth, since Earth is Life.  Thank you, Earth!

I hope you are well and can take a deep breath of fresh clean air.

Thanks for listening, Isabel

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