July 2009
Victor Roggli
“Never give up.”
I was born in Winchester, Tenn., in the spring of 1951. As a child, I had trouble gaining weight and was often in poor health — fighting off bouts of pneumonia. It was not until 1963, when I was 12 years old, that I received a sweat test at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. My parents’ decision to let me play sports growing up kept my lungs in shape and promoted airway clearance. While attending undergraduate school at Rice University, I remained active by participating in intramural sports, such as flag football and basketball.
Attending medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, to become a lung pathologist, I was fortunate to have access both to the most up-to-date treatment modalities and opportunities for early intervention when problems arose. Now, at 58 years old, I continue my research as a lung pathologist and professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. I am staying compliant with my medications but struggling to find time to exercise. With the support of my wife, daughter and two stepsons, I hope to get back to some of the activities I enjoyed in my youth.
Since I turned 50, I look at each day, week, month and year as a gift, and it is my practice to live with an attitude of gratitude. I have also found that sharing my story with CF families or the freshman medical school class at Duke is not enough. I have written a book called “So Far, So Good: Living and Coping with Cystic Fibrosis” that is unpublished and still needs editing. My goal is to complete and publish the book, and give all the proceeds to CF research. I am proud to say that I have not let CF stand in the way of my dreams and I am continuously thankful for the gifts that each day brings.
Favorite Holiday: Halloween
Favorite Food: Butterscotch frozen yogurt
Favorite Pastime: Karaoke (I love singing, and it helps clear my airways)
Favorite Color: Periwinkle blue
Role Model: My teacher from Baylor named Don Greenberg — he was a world famous lung pathologist
Dream Vacation: Hawaii
You can find Victor on … Jerry Cahill’s podcasts (www.jerrycahill.com)
