A Little About Me And My Life Challenges

My name is Sabrina Smith Walker, I have Cystic Fibrosis and I am a cancer survivor.

Here is a snippet about my life:

I am 26 years old, and was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. I still reside in Anchorage with my husband, Adam, and our two miniature dachshunds, Oscar and Lola.

My friend, Whitney, made this for me when I was in the hospital a few years ago.

I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 4. I was not diagnosed at birth because I am a quarter Tlingit Indian and it is very rare for someone that is Alaska Native/ Native American to have Cystic Fibrosis. I was told that I would not live past the age of 8, luckily that wasn't true!

When I was 18 years old, I was constantly getting lower back pain and whenever I bent over or sat down I would feel shooting pains that would travel down to my feet. I eventually found out that I had a tumor on my spine that was cancerous. I had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. While all my friends embarked on their new life journey and attended college, I would endure 4 months of aggressive chemotherapy and 1 month of Radiation. Every two weeks in between treatments I was required to do at home 'tune-ups' with medicine balls filled with Tobramycin and Ceftazadime so that I could fight lung infections. I even had a battle with Pneumonia. 

At this point in my life I felt defeated and I felt that life was slipping out from under my feet. I had cancer and a hereditary disease at the same time. At that point in my life I had simple wishes like combing my hair or tasting food (my love for spicy food came from this point in my life). Adam and I were also in a long distance relationship, he was in his final years at West Virginia University, and we saw each other sparsely because it was expensive and a lengthy flight time. 

I have been cancer free for 7 years, December 2, 2005! I have endured agony and sadness in my life but I have also conquered so many obstacles that have been thrown my way. Sometimes adversity can be used to better ourselves and our outlook on life. I like to push myself and set goals for myself to accomplish. I feel that I can use my goals and my feats for good. I enjoy running and I also like to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. So far I have raised $15,000 for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by raising money and running races that benefit CF.



I graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with my degree in Elementary Education in May 2011. I do not work in the education field because it was hard on me health wise and I value my health too much. I did meet many wonderful and intelligent educators in the education program. I now work at an Alaska Native art gallery that is a non-profit in Anchorage, Alaska. I really enjoy my job and it is wonderful to provide Alaska Native artists with opportunities that empower their culture and community.

There are several reasons why I have decided to write a blog. I have established a set of goals (one of my goals was to start a blog) for myself and I want to hold myself accountable by documenting and talking about my journey in life with CF. I also want to inspire others with or without CF to exercise and understand the value of exercise in regards to our health.  I also want to grow a relationship with others who have CF or anyone that is interested. 

As a person with CF, I understand the struggles and the pain that CF causes, but I also feel fortunate and thankful for this life. I recently heard someone talk about adversity and I felt drawn to this word. I felt that by having CF and being a cancer survivor, I am aware and grateful for each and every year, day, breath, wonderful moment, my family, my husband, my friends and my two little nuggets (miniature dachshunds), Oscar and Lola.

I think that people with CF and other diseases are appreciative of this special life that we have the privilege to embark on. Many times there is pain and chaos in our lives but we should cherish the amount of time that we are given and do all that we can for ourselves and our bodies. Make healthy choices! Exercise, eat well, stay compliant with treatments and medicines. 

We can take our tragedies and turn them into triumphs! Sometimes that is not easy but I know that people with CF are a tough  breed. We can overcome this disease and it is helpful to do so when you have positive influences in your life. 

I have several goals that I want to achieve in my lifetime and I am going to document them on here so that I have them written down and I can glance at them when I need motivation or I need to step outside my comfort zone. Some are small goals and some are large.

Sabrina's Goals

Run a marathon

 Compete in the 16 mile Lost Lake Run annually and raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Start a run that benefits Cystic Fibrosis in Anchorage

Be in a Play

Do a triathlon

Travel to Europe 

Run 3 times a week and do strength training 2 times a week

Beat my half marathon and 10K personal record times

Travel to a village in Alaska

Start a Blog :)

I would love to travel around the country and world to run in races that benefit CF and raise money along the way. (Maybe I could get a group of CF'ers or anyone who would do this with me.)

My list is ever evolving and I will add new goals to my list as they come to me.

What are your goals and aspirations? Please share your goals with me :)


I recently read a quote and this how I want to end my blog.

"In the moment that you want to give up, you will find what you're really made of." - Unknown

Thank you for reading my blog.

Sabrina Smith Walker