Stones Applaud How Cystic Fibrosis Shaped My Childhood

TERESA ANNE MULLIN was a student at Harvard University when she began work on The Stones Applaud,” an autobiographical look at her experiences with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary chronic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system. Mullin refused to let the disorder defeat her—especially after she learned that, at the time, most children with cystic fibrosis were not expected to live beyond their teens or twenties. After attending elementary school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mullin attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. She was the first chronically ill student to attend and graduate from the prestigious preparatory school. Attending Harvard University was a longtime dream for Mullin. As a student, Mullin worked as a reporter and editor for the Harvard Crimson, eventually handling the Harvard Business School beat. She also worked for the Boston Globe as an intern and freelance reporter. Several of her stories received front-page bylines. Mullin applied and was turned down for a lung transplant, a potentially long-term solution for cystic fibrosis. After graduation from Harvard in the spring of 1990, she moved to Great Britain, hoping to obtain a transplant there. While waiting to complete her residency and other requirements, the twenty-two-year-old was hospitalized with complications from the disease. She died in London on May 9, 1991.Mullin, Teresa Anne is the author of 'Stones Applaud How Cystic Fibrosis Shaped My Childhood', published 2007 under ISBN 9781577363637 and ISBN 1577363639.