In 1967, when Jerry Cahill was just 11 years old, he was diagnosed with the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis. Jerry’s doctors did not expect him to live past his teen years.

Today, Jerry is a successful author and advocate for cystic fibrosis. He has undergone a lung transplant and is nearing his 60th birthday. My own son also suffers from cystic fibrosis, and sadly, I have heard many conversations about the median age of survival. At times those thoughts have overwhelmed me. Will my son live to be old and gray? It’s my only wish and hope that he will.

After following along with Jerry’s story, I no longer let those thoughts enter my mind. After Jerry’s diagnosis his parents let him live. He did everything that a child his age did. He was active in sports which he attributes to keeping him healthy.

Being a huge advocate for the cystic fibrosis community, Jerry has embarked on two 500 mile bike rides along side Emily Schaller (another adult living with cystic fibrosis) to raise awareness for the disease. He also raised $500,000 while biking. As he is nearing his 60th birthday, Jerry decided to take things just a little further on this years bike ride. Besides just biking, he is completing a “living list.”

Jerry’s list started in February 2016 and will include anything from push-ups in the local gym, to catching a fish in Costa Rica, to snowshoeing in Vermont, to donating his books across the country. His goal is to cross off at least 60 things he’d like to accomplish on his “Living List” in the year he turns 60 years old. At the same time, his goal is to raise $3 Million dollars to assist those living with cystic fibrosis.

So, for six days starting September 19th, Jerry and Emily will once again start their trek from San Francisco to San Diego, California. They will push their own struggles aside and think of others. They will inspire young children like my son to look at age as just a number and to live a life you are proud of.

Cystic fibrosis or not, we can all be so inspired by Jerry’s life. Instead of making a bucket list, let’s commit to making a “living list.” Get out there and live!

For more information:  

https://www.facebook.com/BoomerEsiasonFoundation/

http://www.esiason.org/

www.jerrycahill.com

img_9236

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Katie Brady

Hi! I'm Katie Brady! I live in Omaha, Nebraska with my husband and four kids. I have a six-year-old, four-year-old, three-year-old, and a one-year-old. Three girls and a little boy! So, I'm kept busy at home with them. I've always had such a passion for writing, but since my youngest was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis it has become a form of therapy. I'm so excited to share our life with everyone!

I Don’t Want To Do Your Exercise Challenge, Facebook Friend

In: Fitness, Health, Motherhood
I Don't Want To Do Your Exercise Challenge, Facebook Friend

Hey girl!  I cringe. Do I dare open it? I do, of course. It’s a new friend I’ve followed on social media, so I try to be kind and just make an excuse as to why I don’t want to do any weight loss challenges. Just 30 minutes a day, it’s so simple. You can make time to work out if you wanted to! You should take care of yourself. I run low on excuses after a minute because hey, you’re absolutely right. There is an extra 30 minutes in my day spent scrolling through Facebook and Pinterest. OK, if we...

Keep Reading

Sorry Gym, We Just Aren’t Working Out

In: Fitness
Sorry Gym, We Just Aren’t Working Out www.herviewfromhome.com

  Dear Gym, After four long years, I feel our relationship has come to an end. I doubt you are surprised by this since we have been seeing each other less and less frequently ever since 2016. But I wanted to end things between us now, before we both end up with too many regrets. Now, I know when people say “It’s not you, it’s me,” that is usually a lie. But I graciously admit that most of the blame falls on me. After all, I have been seeing someone else…on the side. I tried as hard as I could...

Keep Reading

How Zumba Gave Me Back My Social Life

In: Fitness, Journal, Relationships
How Zumba Gave Me Back My Social Life www.herviewfromhome.com

There’s a spacious park near my home that has a gravel trail in our community for walkers and joggers to enjoy. For years, I frequented this park with my close friend while our children were in school. We met each morning with our water bottles in hand and tackled five miles on the track in the blistering sun. Despite the heat and achy muscles, I enjoyed the 90 minutes of “girl time” I shared with my friend. We laughed and chatted about everything—from our family life, fun vacation spots, the stress of raising teens, concerns for our elderly parents, and...

Keep Reading

Goodbye Size 6

In: Fitness, Health, Mental Health
Goodbye Size 6 www.herviewfromhome.com

Dear Size 6, It’s hard to tell you this, but it’s time we part ways. I’m both relieved and ready to finally let you go. I’m sure you saw this coming, didn’t you? It’s just… Things change. People change. I’ve changed. I’ve grown through the years, and well, you haven’t. Oh, we had our fun together, didn’t we? You and I fit perfectly. I felt spunky and full of life when I was with you, doing all the things we did and feeling like we were meant to be. Oh, the memories of our glory days… We were so good...

Keep Reading

Mama, It Takes More Than Six Weeks

In: Fitness, Health, Mental Health, Motherhood
Mama, It Takes More Than Six Weeks www.herviewfromhome.com

A study from 2011 by Dr. Julie Wray at the University of Salford has recently been revived and is making the rounds on parenting sites. The finding from Dr. Wray’s research boils down to: women need more than six weeks to recover from childbirth. In other breaking news, water is wet and the sky appears to be blue. The vast majority of women who have had a baby are sitting there thinking, “I could have told you that without a study.” Look at it logically: six weeks is a month and a half. It took nine months, or somewhere in...

Keep Reading

Working Out with Kids

In: Fitness, Health, Kids, Motherhood
Working Out with Kids www.herviewfromhome.com

It’s no secret that I love working out. It has helped me drop 130 pounds in a year and clears my mind after a hectic day. Working out is my “Me Time.” Wait a minute, did I really say “Me time?” If you are a mom, you probably laughed out loud at the phrase “Me Time,” not even understanding what on earth that means. When you become a Mom, “Me Time” becomes as rare as a fine wine– it tastes amazing, but you only get it on special occasions. Yet, I can’t wait and just workout out on special occasions....

Keep Reading

What This Mom Discovered When She Was Body Shamed on Social Media

In: Fitness, Health, Journal, Mental Health, Relationships
What This Mom Discovered When She Was Body Shamed on Social Media www.herviewfromhome.com

I love social media. You know that whole Facebook memories thing? I have a feeling that someone, at one time or another, was thinking up all the ways they could make moms of young children spend even more time on Facebook. “Why not let them look back at all the old photos of their kids when they were babies?” they said. Why not make my ovaries burst and make me go tearfully hover over all my sleeping children while wondering how in the world they have gotten so big, is more like it! Do I post adorable pictures of my...

Keep Reading

Feeling Like You Just Can’t? This Record-Setting Mama Has A Message For You

In: Fitness, Health, Inspiration
Feeling Like You Just Can’t? This Record-Setting Mama Has A Message For You . www.herviewfromhome.com

(Feature image via Gameface Media-Bruce Muhlbradt) Running a marathon is hard. Pushing a jogging stroller full of kidlets (and actually jogging) is hard. Heck, just being a mom is hard. Put all three together and it sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. One rock-star mama made it a dream. Theresa Marie Pitts, a Montana mom of eight, shares a refreshing perspective on achieving that dream. For her, doing tough things is sweetened by including her “whys” in the journey: “Nothing else brings more joy to my heart than being a mother. So, in celebration of life and motherhood, I chose...

Keep Reading

How a Middle School Track Meet Set me on an Unhealthy Course

In: Fitness, Health, Mental Health, Weight Loss
How a Middle School Track Meet Set me on an Unhealthy Course www.herviewfromhome.com

If I introduced myself to you today, the first things you might notice about me are my muscular arms, shoulders, and legs. Based on these features, you might also assume I am an athlete. If I met you in 2011, however, you’d make a much different evaluation of my physical fitness. At 300 pounds, it was quite clear that exercising was not a priority of mine. In fact, it was something I completely avoided because the fear of failure was so debilitating I was not even willing to try. This fear, which set me up for over a decade of...

Keep Reading

Dear Woman in the Yellow Sweatshirt at the Gym

In: Fitness, Health, Healthy Living, Weight Loss
Dear Woman in the Yellow Sweatshirt at the Gym www.herviewfromhome.com

Dear Woman in the Yellow Sweatshirt: It was late one Thursday night. I had just finished a body pump class. I went to fill my water bottle in preparation for getting a few laps in on the track. I was so focused on the workout I just completed I really didn’t notice anything. Until I noticed you. You walked up the stairs. It was incredibly hot and humid out, but you wore long, black, baggy sweats and a long, yellow sweatshirt that you kept pulling down. As you hit the top of the stairs you looked around hoping the “I’m...

Keep Reading