Living With An Invisible Disease: One Woman's Journey With CF

Stories focused on scientific advancements too often lose sight of what makes those possible: the people. For every groundbreaking innovation, there are thousands of individuals—patients, family members, doctors, researchers—who bring those discoveries past the finish line with clinical trials. We know little about who they are, why they’re involved in the trial, and how it’s impacted them. Through the Portrait Project, you'll meet the humans behind the research in a candid and rarely published light.

In this story, we meet Ella, a clinical research participant and patient advocate. She's spent her life navigating the challenges of cystic fibrosis—facing a double-lung infection, antibiotic resistance, and a constant push to advocate for her own care. What began as a personal fight for health became a calling to amplify the voices of others facing similar struggles Ella's perspective reminds us why it’s essential to center the patient in everything we do.