A man who was told he wouldn’t live beyond 18 came to terms with the idea of never getting to live out his dreams, but then the impossible happened.
When he was barely a few months old, Charles Kim Haskell seemed to have a perpetual cold that became deeply concerning. With no sign of it getting any better, Haskell’s parents took him to the doctor to get it checked out.
They thought it was just a bad cold—but what came next was far worse. Haskell was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that damages a person’s lungs, pancreas, and other organs. It causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in the body, making it difficult to breathe and get sufficient nutrition.
Haskell’s life had barely even begun, but his family was informed that he would most likely live to only 18 years old. That was hard to grapple with, as Haskell, of Boise, Idaho, grew up with the looming shadow of death, and knowing his time was limited.
Haskell told Newsweek: “I spent a lot of time reflecting on mortality as a kid, in a bit of an obsessive way. I also had a desire to learn as much as I could about everything. Knowing my time was limited gave me an appreciation for life, friends, God and nature.”
Instead of going to the park with friends and playing video games, Haskell spent much of his childhood doing chest therapy sessions with a nebulizer. He was also hospitalized multiple times a year with lung infections.
Haskell accepted that he couldn’t change his health or his circumstances. But he found great comfort in learning new things and expanding his horizons through books instead.
“I would regularly check out textbooks from my school library for classes I never took; books on physics, statistics, and horticulture. Knowledge felt like something I could have that, unlike money or grades, my health couldn’t take away,” he continued.
As time went by, Haskell was informed that his life expectancy had improved and he could now live up to 36 years old.
Seeing life beyond 18 was an amazing thought, but Haskell said he knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“Lung infections are the real killer of people with cystic fibrosis,” Haskell said. “In order to treat them, you need to take antibiotics. First, it’s normal oral medications, but recurrent infections grow resistant to antibiotics. Eventually, the basic ones don’t work, and you need harder antibiotics that can harm your veins, unless pumped directly into your heart.
“Each infection chips away some of your lung function until you can’t get enough air into your bloodstream without supplemental oxygen. From there, it gets worse, until even that’s not enough. Your body suffocates slowly and painfully until your organs shut down, killing you. The only option when things get that bad is a lung transplant.”
With his lung capacity at around 25 percent, Haskell was told that the only option was a lung transplant.
For him, that felt like “abandoning a ship into a lifeboat without oars.” While many people spend years on the transplant list, Haskell also couldn’t bear the thought of taking medication to suppress his immune system and constantly being on high alert.
It could have been easy to lose hope, but then, in 2020, everything changed.
Haskell was told about a new drug, Trikafta, which was approved by the FDA for cystic fibrosis patients over the age of 2. Haskell’s doctors were quietly optimistic that it could help him, but he couldn’t have imagined just how much it would change his life.
“Since taking Trikafta, my lungs have done the impossible—they’ve improved. My lung capacity is now around 60 percent, which, by all accounts, should not have been possible. I still wheeze and cough occasionally, but it is now just a reminder for me to be grateful and treat every breath I take as a gift,” Haskell said.
Without the burden of death, Haskell has been able to embrace life. Now, at the age of 31, he said he hopes to encourage others with cystic fibrosis not to let their challenges hold them back.
Haskell still has to be cautious of his health, of course, but now he can actually enjoy life and has hope once again.
Haskell has even been able to go traveling and enjoy adventures, which he documented on his social-media channel @atlas_unlimited.
In June, he shared a video outlining his experience and showing how much his life has transformed, down to “a complete miracle.” The clip went viral with over 282,800 views and more than 34,000 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
Haskell said he was hesitant to share his cystic fibrosis journey on his page, but now he realizes how much good can come from being honest and connecting with others.
“I want to continue to hone my craft and touch as many hearts as I can,” he said. “No one knows how much time they get. When you lie down for the last time and reflect on your life, you will only feel peace if you first feel gratitude.”
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