How do you chase your biggest dreams when living with a chronic illness like cystic fibrosis? Ava Dennis shares her journey as a pre-physical therapy major and college athlete balancing life, school, and health challenges. From hiding her diagnosis to fearing being seen as a liability, Ava’s story is one of resilience, grit, and self-advocacy.🎧 What you'll learn in this episode:+Ava’s childhood and how CF shaped her early years+The struggle of telling coaches and peers about her illness+The importance of having a strong support system+How Ava stays disciplined with medication, sleep, and nutrition+Overcoming fear and embracing every opportunity+Lessons on resilience, self-advocacy, and living fully with a chronic illness⏰ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Invisible Strengths00:23 Ava’s Journey and Aspirations01:25 Balancing Life as a Student-Athlete03:45 Childhood challenges with CF06:13 Gym class struggles and parental support11:13 The fear of disclosure to coaches13:36 Managing flare-ups and health routines16:40 Building resilience through adversity19:34 Understanding cystic fibrosis realities23:32 Living independently and staying on top of treatments26:55 Ava’s encouragement for others with CF🔑 Key Quotes:“My biggest fear was my coach finding out and seeing me as a liability.” — Ava Dennis “If you get good people around you that genuinely love and care about you, they aren’t going to see you for your disease.” “You need to believe that it’s okay. No matter what, you’re going to be okay. Life goes on.”✨👍 Like this video? Subscribe and hit the 🔔 to never miss an episode on inspiring stories of invisible strength and overcoming health challenges with Karin Wagner and Chris Burton.
💬 Drop a comment below to share your thoughts or your story — we’d love to hear from you!#CysticFibrosis #StudentAthlete #InvisibleStrength #ChronicIllness #Resilience #PhysicalTherapy #HealthJourney #SupportSystem #Motivation #AvasClimb✨Chasing dreams despite autoimmune disease - one step at a time!Join our Community on Circle (free for our members): https://invisible-strength-autoimmune... 📖 Community Recommended Autoimmune Resources: https://invigorateyourjourney.comCheck out the Latest here: https://linktr.ee/InvisibleStrength DISCLAIMER: This content within this video is not medical advice. The purpose of these videos are for general education and to share my own experience. This content should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any health condition. Please consult a healthcare professional before attempting anything in this video.
