Andrew Houser February 2009
A 20-year-old college student at the University of New Mexico, Andrew Houser radiates warmth and laid-back energy, indicative of his generous and cheerful nature. What for many would be seen as a life-long affliction, Andrew has used his cystic fibrosis (CF) to forge connections with others and put a face to CF, a genetic disease which affects over 30,000 people around the United States.
As with many CF patients, Andrew begins and ends each day with an arduous medical routine in order to do all he can to keep himself as healthy as possible. The long list of medications he takes includes enzymes to aid digestion, CF vitamins, inhaled medications and antibiotics. While Andrew admits that sometimes taking his medicines, which take several hours per day to administer, are the last thing he wants to be doing when he could be hanging out with friends and participating in the activities of a regular college student, he knows that they are incredibly important and does not skip them. Andrew positively spins the administration of his medicines, saying that the routine helps him wake-up in the morning and wind-down in the evening.
"You just have to do it and make it a standard part of your day," says Andrew to other young adults and teens who struggle with staying compliant to their medications. "Yeah, it can be tough, but the outcome of not taking your medication is even tougher."
Staying compliant to his medical routine and exercising, such as playing basketball, soccer, swimming and going to the gym, help Andrew stay energized for his classes and to pursue his hobbies. An education major and excellent student, Andrew aims to be a teacher or a school counselor. He loves history, English and human development, and he is drawn to taking on a profession where he can have a solid impact in other peoples' lives.
When Andrew isn't in class or studying, he takes advantage of his location within the beautiful, rugged landscape of the Southwest to go backpacking, camping and riding through rough terrain in his Jeep, specially built with shock absorbers and heavy-duty tires. Andrew also enjoys traveling the world and has visited Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, England, Mexico and the Caribbean. For his next adventure, he is set on visiting Russia, which fascinates him because of its magnificent history and architecture.
Even when traveling, Andrew maintains his commitment to his medicines, organizing his oral medicines like vitamins and enzymes ahead of time, keeping his perishable inhaled therapies in special coolers in his carry-on luggage and bringing a travel-sized nebulizer with electrical adapters. He also makes a point to increase his exercise while traveling to help keep his energy levels high and his lungs feeling good.
With great accomplishments already under his belt and his sunny persona, Andrew often surprises people who find out that he has CF. He treats his disease with an openness that speaks to his maturity and generous spirit, as he hopes he can educate other people about CF and clarify misunderstandings about the disease. He feels that working to support research and fundraisers to benefit cystic fibrosis are also important. He and his family have always volunteered for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, participating in the walks and annual celebrity fundraisers by helping with building stages and backdrops. He also helps with the Special Olympics, an organization that he truly believes in because of the power that exercise and physical fitness have had in his own life.
"Andrew Houser is part of the next generation of people with cystic fibrosis who believe that all things are possible and the future is open," says Isa Stenzel Byrnes, who along with her twin sister Ana Stenzel, co-chairs the Heroes of Hope Living with CF program and has CF herself. "I cannot wait to see what else Andrew has in store for himself, as he continues to push open his horizons through travel, school and a commitment to achieving all life has to offer."
Please note: The information contained on these Heroes of Hope™ Living with CF award recipient biographies are not regularly updated. The information only represents the point in time when the Heroes of Hope recipient was honored.
