Katie Rose’s Acceptance into Washington University College Essay

Katie Caul

Shake It Up 

            It’s 6:30 in the morning and my half hour with Katie has just ended.  Now I get to relax until Katie gets back from school and visits me for another half hour.  An hour a day is not a lot of time, but it is enough for me to accomplish my job.  In fact, I cringe on the days when I see Katie more, because it means she is not feeling well and needs more of my help.  Katie has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and I am one of her main treatments – I am her Vest, an airway clearance system.       

            As her Vest, I vibrate Katie’s chest so that she can clear her lungs and cough up the thick mucus that makes it harder for her to breathe. I have been with Katie for 10 years and she is much healthier now than when we began. During the last several years, her uncle taught her to run, making my job easier, and she continues to run for her high school cross country team.  She is now able to spit out all of that junk without my help most days, but I am still essential to her health regimen. 

            Since I have been with Katie for so long, I have watched her grow up and blossom into the positive, confident, engaging, compassionate person she is today.  I have been with her as she mastered the art of reading while vibrating, so that she could read countless books. On the days when Katie is not using our time together to master the concepts of her challenging classes, I laugh with her, watching The Cosby Show, Bones, or Gilmore Girls.  Nothing, however, could beat the thrill of getting packed up into the green suitcase and waiting to see where Katie’s next adventure will begin. She has taken me all over the country, from 20 minute drives to sleepovers at her older siblings’ homes, to long, bumpy car rides to Chicago, South Bend, and New York City.  I have also flown with her to England, Alaska, Hawaii, and California. The greatest part about the trips, though, is that Katie never once complains about having me tag along.   

            Katie is very open about her Cystic Fibrosis and about me; she is never ashamed about being different. My favorite days at work are when her friends are over, and I get to see all of them hanging out while I am doing my job.  It is completely normal for me to be with them and they only tease Katie a little bit about how shaky her voice sounds while I’m working.

            I know one day Katie won’t need me anymore, because her CF will be cured.  But, until that day, I will treasure all of these great memories and adventures and I look forward to all the new adventures that will happen in the future – such as being packed up and taken to college.