James on staying active and sharing his CF story
In this episode of the CFStrong podcast we speak with James about growing up with four brothers, keeping active and playing sport and what helped him to open up about and share his CF story with his teammates.
 






























"I kept it a secret, you know, as much as I could from pretty well most people... But then when I got towards 27 I started slowing down a bit more again. And that's when I started to open up... It actually worked out pretty well. And I do probably wish I probably did say it a bit earlier because you should let other people know and things like that because the support you get from them is absolutely amazing."
—James






























Transcript
Voiceover: Welcome to the CFStrong podcast. CFStrong 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. 
 
Sam: So, my name is Sam and today I'll be your host and with me today is James who is sharing his CF story and challenges it presented. James stayed fit and healthy through his life by playing sports and keeping physically active. So, James would like to tell us a bit about yourself. 
James: Thanks, mate. Happy to be here. Yeah, so 31 years old. Electrician, currently with my own business. Three older brothers. My second oldest brother actually has CF as well. But yeah, I've played footy, cricket, all that sort of stuff. I mean, I'm the youngest of four. So, by the time I was born, my oldest brother was already playing under 9s footy. So, I was, I was born with you know, with a footy in my hand you know, tennis racquet, cricket bat and everything like that. So, yeah, I played footy a lot of my life and sports and yeah, I guess that's sort of what, what's helped me along the way, but I thought I'd jump on board here now that I've got to a little bit older and share some of my stories. 
Sam: Yeah, excellent. So, you were saying the youngest of four?  
James: Correct.  
Sam: And which brother has cystic fibrosis? 
James: The second oldest one.  
Sam: Yeah. Okay.  
James: Yes. Scotty my other brother who's, he's turning 40, the big fossil is turning 40 this year and Jase is 39 so one year below that.  
Sam: Yeah. 
James: And then there's another brother in between there, Adam and myself.  
Sam: Yeah, cool. Okay.  
James: So poor mom. She had four boys.  
Sam: Yeah. Yeah, that can be a challenge. I'm one of four as well.  
James: Oh right.  
Sam: So just at the, just want to start at the beginning. So what are your main motivations to get into sport because as someone being born with CF, especially as a parent, I'm sure they can be quite hesitant to let you like, let their child go out into the sporting world because they're unsure about how the CF will impact them and stuff like that. So what was your main motivations and how did you really get thrown into the world of sport? 
James: Well, I guess I suppose I didn't have a choice.  
Sam: Yeah, right.  
James: No matter what. All three of my brothers were all playing footy, cricket and stuff like that. Dad was president down at the local club and so was, and Mum was running the canteens. So every every Saturday or Sunday, I was down the club anyway, so I really didn't have too much of a choice, but I just loved being active mate. We've always you know, fished in the summer, played cricket, you know, played footy.