GLENDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) - A Valley girl has found similarities between her life living with cystic fibrosis and a new movie just released that deals with the same subject.
Passing time in a hospital room is something 17-year-old Hailey Miller has gotten used to.
"I'm usually here two to three times a year," said Hailey Miller, Glendale resident with cystic fibrosis.
She comes to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center multiple times a year to clear out her airways and take antibiotics to fight infections.
Hailey has cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time.
"I was diagnosed when I was 2-years-old so I've grown up with it so it's just a thing (laughs)," said Hailey.
Being a teenager and navigating all that come with growing up battling cystic fibrosis has not come without its challenges.
"All the treatments they have to do, they talk about and then wearing their mask and being aware of germs and everything," says Hailey.
But Hailey said a book she read called Five Feet Apart, which just became a movie, helped her feel not alone. It deals with love, life, family, and cystic fibrosis, much like what she's dealing with in real life.
"Some people, like when we're walking around with a mask on or we're coughing, they kind of give you a look like why are you out walking around when you're sick, but they judge too quickly," said Hailey.
She is taking everything in stride, much like the of cards you're dealt.