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<\/a><\/p>\nThe art of reinventing yourself before university<\/h3>\n
When I first started at the University of Bath, I had the same thought that most people have before university, something along the lines of \u2018how can I make myself better and more likeable, I should probably use this opportunity to reinvent myself. After all, going to university presents you with the unique opportunity to leave the \u2018old\u2019 you in your hometown, meet completely new people and live in a new city.<\/p>\n
For me, this potentially meant not being so upfront about my CF, so people don\u2019t see me as only my illness. I have had a lot of practice telling people I have CF, and the most common reaction is \u201cOh\u201d- and after they have googled what Cystic Fibrosis is, they are led to believe all the worst-case horror stories, ultimately thinking I am significantly more \u2018ill\u2019 than I am. So why wouldn\u2019t I want to stay away from this at Bath? After all, I can essentially do everything any normal 19-year-old can; so do they really need to know?<\/p>\n
Why I decided to tell people I have a disability<\/h3>\n
Ultimately, I did not stop telling people about my CF before starting university, and this decision was for the best. I didn\u2019t exactly introduce myself as \u201cHi, I\u2019m Lily and my lungs don\u2019t work\u201d, but I brought it up when it came up. This was a good decision because, ultimately, telling people makes my life more convenient. As you can see from the images, being disabled has not prevented me from making friends or having less of a social life at Bath.<\/p>\n
CF is a pain. It\u2019s time-consuming and very draining. By telling people about my CF, it made my life a lot easier.\u00a0 I can simply take my tablets whenever I eat without getting funny looks, and I can say \u201cI need to do my breathing stuff so I might be a bit late\u201d, no questions asked. As well as this, my CF is a part of who I am, I am (just about) managing a lung disease whilst attending lectures, going on nights out and having the complete independence of being at university. That\u2019s pretty impressive, so is not something I feel ashamed of, or feel the need to hide.<\/p>\n
I am by no means claiming it is easy to tell people you have a disability, it\u2019s scary, and quite frankly an awkward conversation to have with somebody. There\u2019s a chance it basically involved me saying \u201cYeah, so, my organs don\u2019t work but I am still well enough to drink these shots with you\u201d. You must make yourself so vulnerable to almost \u2018expose\u2019 that part of yourself, even if the person you\u2019re telling shows no difference towards you. I'm doubtful they may, (even if it\u2019s only initially), think of you differently.<\/p>\n I think the best way to tell somebody is just bringing it up in conversation, if you don\u2019t treat it as a big deal, the person you\u2019re telling won\u2019t see it as a big deal either. For me, I can bring it up the first time somebody sees me taking tablets or wherever it seems appropriate and not awkward.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHow to tell people (if you want to)<\/h3>\n