Freshman Hannah Vossen Seeks To Inspire Those Who Share Her Struggle

Photo Courtesy Of Hannah Vossen

BY CHARLIE BLODNIEKS

Thousands of fans swarmed the entrance of the Key Arena amphitheater in San Diego, all in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the band they adored: One Direction. Among this crowd of eager fan girls was Cooper City High School Freshman Hannah Vossen. Upon hearing this story for the first time, I must admit, I was slightly taken aback by the sheer cliché of this scenario. A high school girl living out her dreams by meeting the world’s number one boy band? While the story may initially seem very Disney movie dream-esque, for Vossen it was so much more – it was her one and only wish. On July 28^th, Hannah Vossen walked, pass in hand and heart on sleeve, above the world. The Make-A-Wish foundation had granted a struggling girl her ultimate wish.

Hidden behind the contagious smile that she is well known for, Vossen masks a chronic illness. In the summer between 6^th and 7^th grade, Vossen was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease which causes the defective genes to create excess mucus and stops natural enzymes from properly breaking down food. This mucus can obstruct airways and interfere with normal breathing patterns, it also creates a harboring area for bacteria, which can cause deadly lung infections. When Vossen first found out about her disease, she wanted to keep it to herself. Around this time, she also started listening to One Direction.

“I started listening to [One Direction] a little while after I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. I was going through a rough time and was really sad and scared about what everyone would think of me. I began listening to [their] music, and when I listened to it I was the happiest person in the world,” Vossen said.

Shortly after diagnosis, Vossen reached out to the community of kids her age with the same illness.  Doing this, she met Andrea Lucas, another girl around her age with cystic fibrosis; they quickly became close friends. This last February, Andrea passed away. Now, on top of fighting a disease, Vossen is fighting to keep her friend’s legacy alive.

Nevertheless, despite the challenges and hardships Vossen still faces, she lives her life with a smile on her face, trying to stay positive. Cystic fibrosis makes it hard for her to run and breathe, and she often feels sick and tired.

“It’s exhausting,” Vossen said. “Your chest physically aches and your throat hurts because you cough so much.”

Facing adversity in her every movement, she tries with all she can to make every moment worth the struggle it brings her. Smiling brightly and trying to make others do the same, she is often called “a shining star” by those she comes in contact with. In honor of her friend, Andrea, Vossen is starting a school club called Andrea’s Angels to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis. Although the club is still in the works with administration, she has high hopes for its future. According to Vossen, her friendship with Andrea taught her to cherish what she can.

“The fact that she is able to shrug off all the self-consciousness of youth to raise awareness for CF is more that beautiful,” Vossen’s English teacher Lisa Jones said.

With a struggle so (literally) close to her heart, Vossen aspires to make a difference in the world. She wants to be to everyone what One Direction has been to her: an inspiration and a source of happiness. Like most teens, she is unsure about what exactly she wants to be, but what makes her beautiful is in who she already is.

“To wake up every day with a smile on your face in that position takes an incredible mindset. When I see Hannah, I see her for her, not for her disease. Hannah is so much more than CF. It’s not fair bad things have to happen to good people, but Hannah will make her mark wherever possible,” Vossen’s friend Samantha Shea said.