Morgan Grindstaff

Morgan Grindstaff, 21, poses with his guitar at his Cherryville home on Thursday February 23, 2012. Grindstaff was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a degenerative condition that gives him breathing trouble and requires him to use a therapy vest and a nebulizer several times a day.

Part of the reason I love what I do is that I get to meet lots of interesting people that I might not otherwise interact with. It's my job to tell their story.

In this case, I took some pictures of Morgan with medical equipment he uses to help him breath due to his Cystic Fibrosis. That was necessary for the assignment, but I think this photo, which says nothing of his condition, is more genuine and dignified.

He's a human being after all, not simply a victim of disease. On the contrary, one angle in the story this photo accompanied was his efforts to raise awareness and support charities for the ailment.

It's always humbling, though, when you have an assignment to photograph someone with a serious medical condition. Morgan described for me how Cystic Fibrosis will typically get worse over time.

"By the time I get to be about 30 I'll be looking at a lung transplant, you know, or dying."

Then he laughed it off.