I became pregnant at age 19 during my second year in college. This was a shock to my parents and all of my family who were extremely worried about my future, both healthwise and academically. When my daughter was born, my then fiance and I had three weeks to adjust to being parents before fall semester began. I nursed my daughter and was able to do so until she was six months old. At that time I had to go on Tobramycin and stop nursing. I noticed a decline in my health and especially an increase in asthma like symptoms. Due to Janis' extremely small size, we saw a geneticist. Janis does not have CF!!! I had my first serious CF episode when Janis was just over two years old; I got a severe infection caused by antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas, and a port in my chest. I had a year and a half of trouble with frequent infections. I think the decline in my health was caused by the lack of adequate sleep. Today, I am doing great and am much better at balancing my work load, thus much improved health. Janis' father and I finally decided to "tie the knot" after almost seven years together in July of 2000. We both graduated from the University of Nevada in 1997, I am working on my PhD in biochemistry, and Janis is the light of our life.

-- By Amy Watson, March 10, 2001