I've been writing about my niece Kadyn and Cystic Fibrosis for more than a decade.

When she was little, that was relatively easy. I could tell you about hospital stays and breathing treatments. About feeding tubes, surgeries and medications. I could tell you about the funny things she said and the incredible way a little girl handled things no little girl should have to handle.

Then Kadyn grew up.

And somewhere along the way, the story changed.

Or maybe I finally realized it was never really my story to tell.

Kadyn is 17 now. In less than a year, she'll legally be an adult. She is starting to look at colleges and will most likely choose one away from home. I'm not sure her family is ready for that.

Kadyn is.

She still loves to dance. She works hard in school. And she's beginning to make some pretty big decisions about what she wants the next chapter of her life to look like.

Last year, I shared something Kadyn wrote in a school essay:

“My illness has and will never take away my spark, my work ethic, or the final say in my life. Cystic Fibrosis may shape the way my life is different from my peers, but I have never once let it dictate my life and what I can do.”

I keep coming back to those six words:

The final say in my life.

For most of Kadyn's childhood, CF got far too much say.

It decided when she went to the hospital. It dictated hours of treatments. It caused her to miss school, dance competitions, vacations and numerous other things most kids never have to think twice about.

Now Kadyn is deciding where she wants to go to college.

That might seem like a pretty normal thing for a 17-year-old to do. For Kadyn, I think there's something pretty damn special about it.

CF will still have a say. Unfortunately, it probably always will until we find a cure.

But it doesn't get the final say.

Kadyn does.

For 17 years, so many of you have supported Kadyn's Krew. You've walked, donated, shared these posts and helped fund the research and treatments that continue to change what living with Cystic Fibrosis looks like.

We aren't done.

This year’s Great Strides Walk, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, will take place on October 10, 2026, at Rutledge Wilson Farm. Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m., and the walk starts at 10:00 a.m. We’re grateful for every form of support—whether you walk, donate, read, share, or simply help spread the word.

Someday I still hope I get to write the last one of these.

Not because I've run out of things to say about Kadyn.

But because CF has been cured.

With Love,

Megan, Tim, Ellie, Weller, and Lucy