Salty Stories: CF & First Dates

Can cystic fibrosis be funny? Kirsten Michelle Cills thinks so.In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker welcome Philly-based stand-up comedian, writer, and actor Kirsten Michelle Cills, who lives with cystic fibrosis, to talk about finding humor in the hard stuff. From growing up with CF to turning hospital stays into comedy material, Kirsten shares how dark humor has shaped her life, her career, and the way she connects with the people around her.The conversation explores what it means to make an audience comfortable laughing about something they may not fully understand, how humor can impact the dynamic between patients and their healthcare providers, and the pressure to make other people comfortable with CF. Kirsten also reflects on the emotional side of chronic illness and the, sometimes complicated, line between finding something funny and allowing yourself to feel it.Plus, we get real about wearing oxygen on stage, being a professional roaster, the aftermath of unauthorized PICC line removals, hot doctors and nurses, hecklers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

What happens when the heart becomes part of the cystic fibrosis story?In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker welcome cardiologists Evan Manning, MD and Mark Harvey, MD to discuss the connection between cystic fibrosis and cardiovascular health. CF care has historically centered on the lungs, but as people with CF live longer, what have we overlooked about the organ sitting right next door?</pTogether, we explore how inflammation, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and CFTR modulator therapy can affect heart health, why people with CF may face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and what symptoms shouldn’t be ignored.We also talk about plaque, medication interactions, the importance of knowing your numbers, and why sometimes the best place to start is with the basics. As people with CF are living longer, what do we know about protecting the heart—and what are we still trying to figure out?Also: Dr. Dad on the dance floor, the heart as a next-door neighbor, and, you AORTA know, a hearty amount of heart puns.

Welcome to the first episode of “Salty Stories”, our new recurring series featuring three voices from the cystic fibrosis community. Each episode explores a different theme. The only rule? CF has to be part of the story.We’re kicking things off with “First Dates”, naturally.

What if the future you spent your entire life preparing not to have suddenly became possible?In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker welcome journalist, war correspondent, and author Will Cathcart, who lives with cystic fibrosis, to discuss his debut novel, This Is How People Die—a literary thriller that blends espionage, romance, and cystic fibrosis into an unforgettable exploration of survival.Together, we explore how Will transformed the realities of growing up with CF into fiction, why survivor's guilt and the CFTR modulator era became central themes in the novel, and how those experiences continue to shape his work around the world and his ongoing fight for equitable access to CF modulators.Also: Anthony Bourdain, Bob Flanagan, and the Gullah legend of the Haint.

In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Andrea Gavin Becker, and Lauren Harvey explore one of the most talked-about emerging therapies in cystic fibrosis care: bacteriophage therapy.They’re joined by Steffanie Strathdee, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist, co-founder of UC San Diego’s Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, and co-author of the memoir “The Perfect Predator”—to discuss how viruses called bacteriophages help fight dangerous antibiotic-resistant infections.Steffanie shares the story of how phage therapy helped save her husband’s life after he developed a multidrug-resistant superbug infection no antibiotics could treat, and explains why scientists are once again turning to phages after decades of relying almost exclusively on antibiotics.Together, they unpack the science behind phage therapy, the challenges of bringing it into mainstream medicine, and what phage therapy could mean for the CF community, where chronic infections, repeated antibiotic exposure and multi-drug resistance remain major concerns.They’re also joined by Maggie Donovan, who shares her experience becoming one of the first people with CF to receive nebulized phage therapy for chronic MRSA through the FDA compassionate use pathway.Plus: lazy phages, sewage and duck ponds, and why some of the most cutting-edge medicine in the world starts in places most people would never willingly visit—deep in the bowels of large cities!

In this episode, we talk with Karen von Berg, a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins who’s spent her career helping people with cystic fibrosis navigate movement, function, and the realities of living in their bodies over time. We go beyond what most people might expect from physical therapy, diving into posture, breathing mechanics, and our favorite, exercise as snacks (really!). We also talk about the pelvic floor (yep, you have one) and its connection to incontinence, pain, and why so many people don’t bring it up. We get into what actually makes an exercise plan stick, why it’s so hard to know where to start, and how the all-or-nothing mindset gets in the way when energy, time, symptoms, or blood sugars don’t cooperate. Andrea and Lauren share their own experiences: what it’s like to lose momentum, struggle with motivation, and find movement that doesn’t look anything like a traditional workout. Also in this episode: weighted hula hoops, backstage bourbon, and Jane Fonda—naturally.

In this episode, we talk with science journalist Bijal Trivedi, author of “Breath from Salt,” the definitive and surprisingly human account of how families, scientists, and clinicians helped transform cystic fibrosis (CF) from a fatal childhood disease into one of the greatest success stories in modern medicine. Joining the conversation is Kate O’Donnell, president of the Joey Fund and sister of Joey O’Donnell, whose life and legacy helped inspire one of the most powerful fundraising movements in the CF community. Bijal shares the story behind the book—how a single interview with Joey’s parents, Joe and Kathy O’Donnell, revealed a much bigger narrative about relentless parents, brilliant scientists, bold philanthropy and the power of community that helped drive breakthroughs like the development of CFTR modulators like Trikafta. Kate reflects on growing up in a family shaped by CF advocacy, what it means to carry that legacy forward, and how the community continues pushing toward treatments for everyone. We talk about the messy, human side of scientific progress: false starts, competing egos, impossible odds, and the moments when one insight can change everything. We also explore the infrastructure that helped make those breakthroughs possible—from centralized CF care centers to the patient registry that allowed researchers to track mutations, outcomes, and treatments across an entire community. Finally, we explore the questions the CF community is asking now: how the story evolves as people live longer, how to support those still waiting for therapies and why the work isn’t finished yet. Also in the episode: trips to the morgue, dark humor and a very special appearance by an English bulldog named Beans.

Most people with cystic fibrosis (CF) know their lungs better than anyone. But what happens when living longer means needing care that reaches beyond the lungs? In this episode, our very own Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH—co-founder of the CFRI Patrick Nash Fellows Program—joins Carolyn Nash to share the story behind the national initiative designed to prepare subspecialists to care for adults growing older with CF. Inspired by Patrick Nash’s legacy, the program was created to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in cystic fibrosis today: a growing mismatch between the number of adults with CF and the specialists prepared to care for them. From GI and liver disease to sinus health and cancer risk, the burden too often falls on patients to educate their own doctors. You’ll hear from inaugural fellows Spyros Zouridis, MD, a gastroenterology and hepatology fellow, and Jessa Miller, MD, a rhinologist and skull-base surgeon focused on sinonasal health. They share their experiences and what surprised them most, along with how centering real patient stories is reshaping the way future specialists learn to care for adults with CF and what it means to build a national network of CF-informed subspecialists. We talk about mentorship, research, and what this could mean for people with CF—now and decades from now. Along the way, you’ll hear about colonoscopy heroics, the ketchup-on-hot-dog controversy, and the fellowship’s true “secret sauce.” The content presented in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Pain is one of the most common experiences in cystic fibrosis—and also one of the most under-discussed. In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, and Andrea Gavin Becker are joined by Elisabeth (Liz) Dellon, MD, MPH, a pulmonologist and palliative care physician who helped lead the CF Foundation’s pain management guidelines, to explore why pain so often goes unrecognized, under-treated, or minimized in CF care. They discuss the data, which shows that chronic or recurrent pain affects most adults with CF—and Liz explains how pain gets buried beneath packed visit agendas, stigma around treatment, and uncertainty about what kind of pain clinicians are even asking about. Andrea shares what it’s like to live with a constant background hum of pain, how people with CF learn to underrate it, and adds her voice to others with CF on how being disbelieved can feel worse than the pain itself. The conversation reframes pain as more than a number on a scale, looking instead at pain interference, mental health, sleep, menopause, movement, and the cumulative toll of aging with CF. They discuss multimodal and palliative approaches, exercise, non-pharmacologic tools, opioids and stigma, transplant-era trauma, and the role of trust between patients and providers. Also: gas pain intense enough to send spouses into panic; Taylor Swift finding time to fill in as a physical therapist; and why pain deserves a bigger seat at the CF table. The content presented in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

In the season finale of “It’s a Lung Story”, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker return to the studio for a deeply honest conversation about caregiving in cystic fibrosis—what it demands, what it gives back, and what often goes unseen. They’re joined by two caregivers: Pam Richards, mother to an adult daughter living with CF, and Shannon Mortimer, a CF spouse. Pam and Shannon share what it means to love and care for someone through years of illness, hospitalizations, and transplant care. They talk about how stepping in and out of the caregiver role shapes identity, family dynamics, and emotional endurance. They speak openly about trust, guilt, burnout, faith, support, and the emotional aftermath that doesn’t automatically resolve when health stabilizes. Woven into the episode are voice messages from people living with CF, offering gratitude to the caregivers who manage medications, sit through long hospital nights, absorb medical trauma, and quietly hold families together. The content presented in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.