Talking about CF

It’s your decision and your parents’ decision whether to tell other people that you have CF. If you don’t want to disclose your CF to others then that is up to you.

Provided you are comfortable doing so, in some cases it’s useful to let people know about your CF, such as your school and teachers. But your school shouldn’t tell other people unless you and your parents are happy for them to do that. There are lots of good reasons why it’s important to tell your school and teachers about CF. Firstly, because you will be bringing medication to school, so the school will need to know about that. There’s other things the school can help you with if they know about your CF, like needing more regular toilet breaks or the risk of infection from other kids who have colds. Plus it helps for the school to be more informed so the can be understanding if you take unexpected time off, or if the time you spend on your treatments means that it’s hard to find time to finish your homework.

If you choose to tell your friends about your CF, then a good friend will be interested in finding out more about CF. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to know every tiny detail about your treatments or your symptoms, but a good friend is interested in you as a person and wants to know what makes you tick.

Sharing your CF story can help create even better friendships. You will be opening your friend’s eyes to a condition they probably knew little about. By sharing your challenges with them, you’re bringing them into your confidence and forming closer bonds.

More information

Connect with another community member - sometimes it’s great just to talk to someone who know what you are going through. Our peer support program can connect you with others from the CF community who share similar experiences.