In this episode of the CF Strong podcast, co-host Brad Dryburgh engages in an open dialogue with six young adults living with cystic fibrosis (CF) about the often-sensitive topic of body image.
As the eighth episode in the series, each guest, reflects on their personal experiences and struggles with body image, shedding light on the unique challenges faced by individuals with CF.
The candid conversations touch upon issues such as acne, weight gain, societal perceptions, and the journey towards self-acceptance. The guests share their personal triumphs and the liberating moments when they embraced their bodies.
Tune in to the Podcast to hear first-person stories, gain insights and discover coping strategies.





























Transcript
Voice Over: Welcome to the CF Strong Podcast. CF Strong covers the successes and challenges faced by those living with cystic fibrosis. You'll hear first-person stories, conversations with health professionals, friends and partners. Just a heads up, guests may share their personal views about treatments and health management, but please remember, this is not medical advice and you should always follow the advice of your clinic team regarding your health. 
Brad: G'day everyone and welcome to this incredibly exciting new season of the CF Strong Podcast. I'm your host and fellow CF patient Bradley Dryburgh. And as a 20-something-year-old living with cystic fibrosis, I know that this decade of our life is not only challenging, but rather it comes with some big questions we ask of ourselves. I've taken the time to sit down with six guests who like me, are all in their twenties living with cystic fibrosis as they share their honest and unique perspectives on 10 big questions across 10 separate episodes. I'll ask one question of all six of our guests in this particular order. You can expect to hear answers from Adam, Blake, Caitlin, Ellie, Sam, and Taylor. In this eighth episode of our series, we'll hear from each of our six guests as they answer the question. It's not uncommon to hear that some people with CF experience challenges with body image. Have you had any experience with this personally? 
Adam: Yeah, I used to always feel really sad about being underweight. Um, but I just learned to love the skinny boy aesthetic. Um, and I don't, yeah, I don't know. I just don't really care what people think about my body because if they knew, I think they'd be pretty impressed. I think they'd be like, oh, keep, keep going, keep going. You're doing really well, you know, you're born with CF. Like, yeah, uh, yeah, it makes sense that this is the way it is. So I think it's just a lack of understanding from people, but it was pretty liberating the day that I, that I, realised that it doesn't really matter what people think, it's just about how I perceive myself. That's like the, the, the most important thing. 
Brad: What age do you believe you were, if you can recall, when you felt liberated by that thought? 
Adam: Definitely after high school. Um, teenage years are so crazy, uh, and teenagers are so crazy themselves. So probably 1920 was the real, like coming, coming to terms or accepting the way that I look. 
Blake: Uh, I think, uh, I think everybody does really, you know, obviously with, you know, my body type is just sort of, you know, I'm, you know, five foot, 11, whatever on the, you know, you know, a little bit taller than average, I guess. I don't know. And I've always been pretty skinny and lanky. So that, that was a massive thing I sort of dealt with, especially in school, you know, primary school a little bit. I was always short and skinny. And then, you know, once I hit high school, that's when, you know, all of those issues become way worse. But, um, you know, it's sort of, you know, it, it's sort of died down a little bit now. I'm not as worried about it anymore, but they do, you know, it,