"I try to reassure everyone who has been affected by this disease that CF isn't the end of the world if you don't want it to be."
The experience of living with cystic fibrosis is markedly different today than it was decades ago. Thanks to the discovery of the CF gene, the availability of effective drug therapies and advances in technology, the 30,000 Americans who deal with the disease day in and day out are living longer and fuller lives. In a word, they are thriving.
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

Podcast 96: Eric Arthrell - Jumping Into the Career World with CF

Eric Arthrell, 22 years old with cystic fibrosis, lives in Waterloo, Ontario, and talks about getting out there in the working world after college.

  • Eric is working full-time, supporting himself financially, socializing, exercising ― he is running ING New York City Marathon for Team Boomer on November 7 ― and LIVING BREATHING SUCCEEDING through compliance.
  • Eric was diagnosed at birth and had a normal childhood. “I just had to stay compliant, and I did a lot of exercise. I started ice skating and playing hockey at a very early age – everyone in Canada plays hockey.”
  • Eric graduated from Wilfred Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario) with a business degree.
  • Eric enjoys participating in all sports, loves to travel (he recently made a trip to Africa) and also performs in a band.
  • Regarding work: “I started working in the 10th grade and had a lot of various jobs, including sales in a sporting goods store, ground work at a golf course, and roadside construction.”
  • Eric has never let CF be an issue when interviewing for a job or while working at a job. “I just keep work and CF separate, but it is important to get a job with a good health insurance plan,” Eric says.
  • Eric currently works 40 to 50 hours a week in commercial banking and does a lot of analysis. He would like eventually to go into the social enterprise part of business and possibly be a college professor.
  • Eric on the future of CF: “In 10 years, CF will not be looked at as a terminal illness; people with CF will live a long, full life and just have to deal with doing therapies.”
  • “Family support has been the most important thing in my life that helps me get through the day when living with CF,” Eric says.
  • Eric on the career world: “Go out there and add to society, set goals and accomplish them ― better the world!”

This “LIVING. BREATHING. SUCCEEDING.” Podcast/Vodcast series is the third from our third season made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Genentech to the Boomer Esiason Foundation.

PREVIOUS
NEXT