TAYLOR: I think that back in high school, I was feeling pretty hopeless, and I think kind of where I am now, high school Taylor probably wouldn’t even believe it.

BRENNA: If I was talking to younger me, I think it would be important to mention that while the journey with CF is not always easy, and that it can be more difficult at times and create more challenges in life, it’s also a hopeful journey.

TAYLOR: I have my own personal goals that I really want to achieve. It also feels like cystic fibrosis has given me so much and taken so much, but I really want to use that to my advantage and move forward to try to help as many people as I can.

BRENNA: I am feeling very optimistic about what’s to come in my life and where I’m headed personally. And that is something I am very thankful for today and every day.

TAYLOR: Hi, I’m Taylor, I’m 28, and living with cystic fibrosis (CF).

BRENNA: I’m Brenna, I’m 22, and I’m living with cystic fibrosis too. It’s time for you to hear my TRIKAFTA story.

TAYLOR: Because it’s just getting started.

VOICE-OVER: TRIKAFTA (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, or CF, in patients aged 2 years and older who have at least one copy of the F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR, gene or another mutation that is responsive to treatment with TRIKAFTA.

Talk to your doctor to learn if you have an indicated CF gene mutation.

It is not known if TRIKAFTA is safe and effective in children under 2 years of age.

CF is part of our story, but it’s not the whole story.

TAYLOR: I’m currently completing my last year of training, which will allow me to be a pediatric psychologist and help kids who grew up like me. I want to be someone who really understands their perspective, but also has the science background and training to really help them.

It was really when I applied to grad school that I decided, okay, I’m going to do work with kids. Then as I started studying the work with kids in grad school, I realized that the general mental health stuff was a missing piece. So that’s really when I decided to work with kids with chronic illnesses.

BRENNA: I’ve always been interested in the arts since a very young age. I thought I was going to grow up and be an actress. Dance and theater both were a very important part of maintaining some sense of normalcy. It was something that became an outlet when CF became a bigger part of my life, and even before that.

My CF journey started when I was only 4 months old. It’s kind of been up and down throughout my life. There have been really great times, and times where I’ve been more sick and been in the hospital. So things are always changing and always evolving.

So when my doctor mentioned TRIKAFTA, we decided together that if it could help, it was worth a try.

TAYLOR: For those out there that are maybe thinking about trying TRIKAFTA or even hesitant about starting TRIKAFTA, inform yourself. Talk to your doctors. Go onto the TRIKAFTA website and just kind of see like, what other people’s experiences have been.

BRENNA: After being on TRIKAFTA for a bit, I started to notice some improvement in my health and, almost as importantly, my friends and family did, as well, overall. I think for all of us, it was very exciting and created a new sense of hope.

Keep in mind that your results may be different from what is mentioned in these stories.

TAYLOR: The biggest thing that I noticed was just how good I was feeling. Another big thing that showed us that TRIKAFTA was working was the increase in my lung function. About a month after starting TRIKAFTA, I went to the doctor for a visit and my lung function was back up to a number that I had not seen in a really long time.

BRENNA: I started seeing improvements in my lung function, which was very exciting for me and has become a new motivation to continue working on my health.

VOICE-OVER: Before taking TRIKAFTA, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you are allergic to TRIKAFTA or any ingredients in TRIKAFTA. See the Patient Information for a list of ingredients. Have kidney problems; have or have had liver problems; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRIKAFTA will harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor should decide if you will take TRIKAFTA while you are pregnant. Are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. It is not known if TRIKAFTA passes into your breast milk. You and your doctor should decide if you will take TRIKAFTA while you are breastfeeding. Stay tuned for additional Important Safety Information.

What’s kept us on track all this time?

BRENNA: Building this routine that works around your schedule and works with your life is very important because your health comes first. I know I struggled a lot with finding a routine, especially when I went to college, where I was handling all of this on my own. And once I had that down, it became a lot easier to manage everything else, so I was able to figure out school, work, and other things that I wanted to do because I built that routine for my health first.

TAYLOR: And I think being your own advocate and really saying what you need in each moment is the best advice I can give. I wish someone had told me that back when I was in high school.

BRENNA: My friends push me more than anyone to make sure I’m on top of my treatments and taking medications. They’ve made me feel so comfortable with having CF that I don’t have to shy away from being myself and being honest about how I’m feeling or what’s going on related to CF. I would also say my grandparents are a huge part of that support network and have been for my entire life.

TAYLOR: I would say that if you’re ever feeling like you really need help or you’re ever saying to yourself, “Wow, this is a really heavy burden to carry,” know that you don’t have to carry it by yourself. There are other people who want to help you.

Looking ahead to the next chapter

Sometimes when I’m feeling down about my CF, I’ll use it like a crutch to stop myself from living life, but I try to remember that it doesn’t have to define me, and I don’t have to stop myself.

BRENNA: I’d say that these past couple of years I’ve really started to understand the importance of living every day to the fullest. As cheesy as it might sound, it really is important.

TAYLOR: I’m looking forward to really getting settled and then being able to pursue my dream of being that pediatric psychologist and helping children and families with chronic medical conditions. Really continuing to be a face or a voice for the people who need it.

BRENNA: Time made it clear—

TAYLOR: Time made it clear that TRIKAFTA was the right choice.

BRENNA: —that TRIKAFTA was the right choice for me.

Important Safety Information

VOICE-OVER: Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

TRIKAFTA may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how TRIKAFTA works. The dose of TRIKAFTA may need to be adjusted when taken with certain medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of these medicines if you are not sure.

Especially tell your doctor if you take: antibiotics such as rifampin (RIFAMATE®, RIFATER®) or rifabutin (MYCOBUTIN®). Seizure medicines such as phenobarbital, carbamazepine (TEGRETOL®, CARBATROL®, EQUETRO®), or phenytoin (DILANTIN®, PHENYTEK®). St. John’s wort. Antifungal medicines including ketoconazole, itraconazole (such as SPORANOX®), posaconazole (such as NOXAFIL®), voriconazole (such as VFEND®), or fluconazole (such as DIFLUCAN®). Antibiotics including telithromycin, clarithromycin (such as BIAXIN®), or erythromycin (such as ERY-TAB®)

Avoid food or drink that contains grapefruit while you are taking TRIKAFTA.

TRIKAFTA can cause serious side effects, including liver damage and worsening of liver function in people with severe liver disease that can be serious and may require transplantation. Liver damage has also happened in people without liver disease.

High liver enzymes in the blood, which is a common side effect in people treated with TRIKAFTA. These can be serious and may be a sign of liver injury. Your doctor will do blood tests to check your liver before you start TRIKAFTA, every 3 months during your first year of taking TRIKAFTA, and every year while you are taking TRIKAFTA. Your doctor may do blood tests to check the liver more often if you have had high liver enzymes in your blood in the past.

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of liver problems: pain or discomfort in the upper right stomach, or abdominal, area; yellowing of your skin or the white part of your eyes; loss of appetite; nausea or vomiting; dark, amber-colored urine.

Serious allergic reactions have happened to people who are treated with TRIKAFTA. Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction. Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include: rash or hives; tightness of the chest or throat or difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, and/or tongue, or difficulty swallowing; light-headedness or dizziness.

Abnormality of the eye lens, also known as cataract, which has happened in some children and adolescents treated with TRIKAFTA. If you are a child or adolescent, your doctor should perform eye examinations before and during treatment with TRIKAFTA to look for cataracts.

The most common side effects of TRIKAFTA include headache; upper respiratory tract infection, or common cold, including stuffy and runny nose; stomach, or abdominal, pain; diarrhea; rash; increase in liver enzymes; increase in a certain blood enzyme called creatine phosphokinase; flu, or influenza; inflamed sinuses; or increase in blood bilirubin.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of TRIKAFTA. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

To learn more about TRIKAFTA and if it could be right for you, please talk to your healthcare provider and visit TRIKAFTA.com. Please see the links for Important Safety Information and full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information below.

This video is brought to you by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.