Candice: Growing up with cystic fibrosis had not been easy. But Candice had never let it get the better of her. Her priority had always been to live as normal a life as possible. Before her lung transplant, she had always kept this and other goals clearly in mind. Now that she had a new pair of lungs, it seemed that the world had opened up for her.
But Candice knew that she was different than many of her friends. And it wasn't just the disease. Although only eighteen, she had a calmness and a steadiness about her that was beyond her years. Many of the concerns that upset her friends did not have an impact on her at all. What appeared of great importance and urgency to her friends, seemed far less pressing to Candice. She could keep a clear head no matter what was happening.
Her friends recognized the strength in Candice. Many of them would ask her advice about their life decisions. She wasn't always sure why they respected her opinion this way. But she knew that she could usually see through their confusion at a glance. Sometimes, their problems appeared so unimportant to her that their concern irritated her. But deep in her mind, she knew that they had not been tested the way that she had. They had not seen how fragile life was.