Personal Stories

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly the lungs and pancreas. About 30,000 people in the United States have CF, but many more like Weiner and her husband are carriers of the defective gene who are unaware of any CF in their family history.

As Stan Stewart drives through his old neighborhood in the District on the way home from work, he sees what might have been. Guys hang on the streets with nothing to do or, worse, engaged in crime or drugs.

There is a lot that Mary McCourt has to be thankful for: a caring son, loving family, supportive colleagues and compassionate doctors . All of them helped her to celebrate a Lucky 7 anniversary this year from overcoming breast cancer.

The weather was warm and sunny on June 23, 2004. At about 5 p.m., Bruce Ramsay, a Physical Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ran along Paint Branch Parkway. Inexplicably, more than halfway through the jog, Ramsay fell.

For couples who want children, infertility is a heartbreaking issue. When Tim Koslo, a graphic designer for the Defense Intelligence Agency, and his wife were faced with that challenge eight years ago, they decided to look into adoption.

By Jennifer Silber

 "Can't walk or talk but can always laugh."

That's the motto of Glenn Harwood, a Federal employee for more than 30 years. Glenn has always believed in the Combined Federal Campaign. Nearly twelve years ago, he began to learn how Federal employees’ contributions to the CFC could pertain to his own life, and that development led to his motto.

It was then that Glenn learned that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a disease that kills the motor neurons that control the body's muscles, causing paralysis. The senses and mental capacities, however, are not affected.

By Jennifer Silber

Ferdinand Branch has been a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for 22 years. He used to work at the Carrollton Station in New Orleans, but Hurricane Katrina changed that.

Unwilling to leave his dogs behind when the evacuation order was issued, Ferdinand and his brother tried to outsmart the storm by staying put in his brother’s New Orleans home. Despite being on high ground, the house was soon flooded by water that rose above the kitchen countertops. Ferdinand and his brother built a raft and tried to get supplies at a grocery store. Unfortunately, he says, “We were told we might get shot.”

So when a flat-bottomed boat with two life jackets floated into the living room of the house, “We took it as a sign we should leave,” says Ferdinand, and they did. It was later that day that a Coast Guard boat took Ferdinand, his brother, and the dogs to be evacuated — although they could not say exactly where they would land.

By Paul Lagasse

Michelle Payton-Kenner has always been an independent person – strong, self-reliant, and confident. Those traits suited her well as the wife of a Navy yeoman. “Being a Navy wife, you become accustomed to long deployments,” Michelle says. “When my husband wasn’t there, I ran the show. I come from a family of very strong and spiritually inclined people, so that’s part of who I am.”

By Paul Lagasse

It seemed like any other morning for Dennis McCallum, an Army officer stationed at Fort Lee in Virginia. On his way out the door, he looked in on his 3-½-year-old son, Callos. But instead of sleeping peacefully, Callos’ eyes were rolled back into his head. Dennis tried unsuccessfully to wake the boy and, with his wife Cynthia, rushed him to the base hospital. In the emergency room, Callos had his first epileptic seizure. He spent the next two days in intensive care.

By Janet Cave

“When I first came to America, I didn’t have a home. I think I was the only Secretary of Housing who had once been homeless,” recalls Senator Mel Martinez, the former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who now represents the State of Florida in the U.S. Senate.