I lived

One Republic have released the music video for ‘I Lived,’ the sixth single off their 2013 ‘Native’ album. The video is dedicated to a 15-year-old teen named Bryan Warnecke who lives with Cystic Fibrosis.

“Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that attacks the digestive system and slowly shuts down the lungs,” Warnecke explains off-screen as the video begins. “I’ve been doing my treatments everyday of my life, so to me, it’s just one of those things that’s normal.”

We then see footage of Warnecke biking up a mountain spliced with home videos of him growing up. Warnecke goes on to reveal that he is only expected to live until he’s 36 years old.

“It’s just one of those things that really makes you appreciate life. It makes me appreciate where you are, as a person,” he says. “I want to make the most out of my life and have as much fun as I possibly can and my biggest fear is not being able to do that.”

                                                                                                             - Taken from Pop Crush

               

Bryan doing his treatment

One of the biggest fears I had about dying was the fact that I didn't feel like I had lived. I felt like I still had so much to do and give back to the world - I needed more time to do that! 

My transplant has allowed me to "cheat" my Cystic Fibrosis and has given me more time to LIVE. 

I have always believed that I have a good sense of  what 'responsible fun' is. Pre transplant, as sick as I was, I still went out to smokey clubs and often missed doing my physio. The amount of time and effort it took do my daily routine was intense and I knew that it had to be done but I also knew that sometimes being 'naughty' was worth it. I was always responsible and never missed anti biotics or things that could really harm me. 

I think it's important to know what you NEED to do in order to keep yourself healthy but also know what thngs are ok to miss once in a while. With my new lungs the only things I need to do to keep me healthy is to take my pills twice a day (on time) and try and keep my diabetes under control.

Keeping my sugar levels stable has proved to be so difficult. I don't eat carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, bread, sugars or anything that will raise my blood sugars. I do eat a few fruits on occasion and various vegetables such as sweet potatoes, all in moderation. That said, sushi is my absolute favourite food and I said right from the beginning that I was willing to give up carbs but NOT sushi. This is an example of how you need to compoimise good life decisions with ones that may not be the healthiest choices but are necessary to LIVE your life to the fullest.

I've made many MANY bad decisions, some of which I would ideally do differently but I know that these all add to the story of my life. "Bad decisions make the best memories." 

So, listen to your doctors, take care of yourselves and be responsible but please drink all the wine!

Dr Rogers out.