"Beautiful, outstanding images. So insightful to see into the world of CF."

"Amazing exhibition, you're so brave for putting yourself out there. Very educational.

*"Powerful. Really brilliant."

(extracts from the Killarney library exhibition visitors book)

Cystic Fibrosis Ireland in collaboration with Radharc are delighted to bring you 'The Cost of Breathing' - a photography exhibition which confronts the emotional reality of poverty and Cystic Fibrosis.

For people living with Cystic Fibrosis, poverty is an everyday reality. The financial struggles are relentless. Electricity to power life-saving equipment, heating to keep homes damp and condensation free, special food and diets, constant hospital travel, alternate supplements and therapies. But poverty stretches far beyond money. It is the poverty of time lost to daily treatment and hospital visits. The poverty of energy, drained before the day even begins in another battle for health and wellness. The poverty of opportunity, when doors to work, education and relationships close before you ever reach them.

This exhibition asks what it feels like to survive in a system that often overlooks your needs. A place where everything has a cost, even the breath in your lungs. Each image represents an emotional truth, expressed through colour and symbolism inspired by the chakra system and the emotions they reflect.

This is not a comfortable story. But it is one told with hope.

Originally launched to mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with support from The Department of Social Protection, the virtual gallery is now live.