Young woman is determined to live her life to the fullest despite illness

Natalie Hinton 26, is not letting her illness stop her from living her life to the fullest.

Natalie was a sickly baby and has suffered from cystic fibrosis her whole life.

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At seven months, she was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease called Cystic Fibrosis (CF) which also affects other organs such as the pancreas and the digestive system.

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“We produce unusually thick sticky mucus which builds up in the lungs and creates a perfect environment for bugs to grow causing us to become more susceptible to recurrent chest infections. Unfortunately, to this day there is no known cure. It can only be managed as best as possible and ultimately most CF suffers have to have a lung transplant,”said Natalie.

She said once she was past her toddler years her health seemed to stabilise and she had a pretty enjoyable and happy childhood.

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“From a young age I enjoyed running around and playing sports because it made me feel normal and that I was no different to the other kids. When I was in high school I started to struggle. I was a normal rebellious teen and my compliance with medication and treatment started to slip. I was in hospital two to three times a year for about two weeks at a time,” said Natalie.

In Matric she missed 52 days of school but somehow managed to pass thanks to some of her teachers and others from Holy Rosary School.

“Because I only scraped through some of my subjects, I wasn’t able to study what I would’ve liked. At the time I also didn’t have the desire to study either,” she said.

She has been working as a receptionist since she left school.

During her free time, she always finds a fun healthy activity to do to keep the heart and lungs pumping.

“Various activities I’ve enjoyed in the past were hockey, swimming, jogging, kung-fu, archery as well as horse riding. There is this stigma that comes with being ill. People think that when you have an illness, you shouldn’t and can’t do exercise. Nothing could be further from the truth in most cases,” she said.

Natalie’s doctor encourages her to be active and exercise is one of her best medicines along with laughter.

“In 2016, after many years of wanting to cycle, I finally decided to buy myself a bicycle to get fit with fantastic coaches and awesome people.

“The 94.7 had always been a goal I had wanted to achieve and last year when then Cystic Fibrosis Association told me that they were putting a team together to ride for a special purpose, I knew I could not say no,” said Natalie.

After she obtained her doctor’s approval and learnt that her physiotherapist had agreed to ride alongside her the whole way, training commenced.

The November 20, 2016 was one of the toughest but most rewarding days of Natalie’s life.

“The sense of pride and accomplishment was overwhelming. The fact that I am able to inspire my friends with CF that almost anything is possible, is so rewarding. The chance to raise money and awareness for a disease that not too many people know a lot about, also just fills my heart. This year we have managed to grow our team and are hoping to raise even more money for those living with Cystic Fibrosis,” she said.

Natalie said this was a great way for her to give back for being so blessed in her own life.

“I have not had an easy life but there are people out there who are even worse off. I also plan on improving my time by cycling every weekend. Just remember, if you want something badly enough you have to go out and work to get it. Hard work pays off,” she said.

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