Lauren Meiss was diagnosed with an incurable disease when she was three months old.
The biomedical engineering senior lives every day with cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes mucus to clog the lungs and allows bacteria to build in the airways.
“The toughest part is that I feel healthy like everyone else,” Meiss said. “To think I have to plan my life differently is hard. But, there’s nothing stopping me from achieving my goals.”
About 30,000 people in the U.S. have cystic fibrosis, and their average life expectancy is 35 years, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry.
Finding the cure for cystic fibrosis is Meiss’ life goal as she pursues a career as a physician and researcher.
On Oct. 25, she won the $19,000 Abbott CFCareForward scholarship, which she will use to cover living expenses in Sweden, the country with the highest survival rate for cystic fibrosis.
“I will be taking a year off, hopefully to pursue research in Sweden,” Meiss said.
After that she plans on attending medical school, she said.
Meiss was chosen out of 40 finalists nationwide, said Abbott spokesman Larry Baumann.
“Her unique complement of academic achievement and community service won her the scholarship,” Baumann said. “To be able to achieve so much … and have CF is truly inspirational.”
Every morning, Meiss gets up early and puts on the Vest Airway Clearance system. For 30 minutes, she is connected to a machine that “shakes” the mucus from her lungs.
She joked that in elementary school, she would turn in “shaky” handwritten homework because of the Vest.
Meiss must also take pancreatic enzyme pills before every meal so she will retain the calories in her body. In September, Meiss had her fifth sinus surgery. She still has no sense of smell.
Candance Meiss, Lauren’s mother, said Lauren’s medication costs $3,000-$4,000 a year, after insurance.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” Candace Meiss said. “Our life hasn’t been the same since (the diagnosis). You learn to appreciate life.”
Lauren Meiss said only her family and closest friends really know what she goes through on a daily basis.
In addition to being a full-time honors student and research intern at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Meiss is also a pianist and singer.
She submitted a video with her scholarship application of her singing “Spots and Boxes,” a song she wrote about her positive attitude toward her disease.
Lauren said her younger brother, computer systems engineering freshman Trevor Meiss, helped produce the video.
Meiss said she finds joy in her life every day, despite never knowing what health struggles the next day will bring.
“I have been given this gift to realize how precious life is,” Meiss said.
Reach the reporter at thania.betancourt@asu.edu
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