Ten-year-old Cali White feeds her poultry at her Port Clinton home. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – Cali White learned early how to deal with stress. While many ten-year-olds struggle to process their feelings and instead release their frustrations through tantrums, Cali found a healthier way to work through worry and anger. She walks outside her Port Clinton home to watch her barnyard animals.

Standing amidst the chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and rabbits brings instant serenity to Cali.

“Sometimes I pick them up. Sometimes I just watch them,” she said.

Cali has endured an unusual amount of stress in her young life. She was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic, multi-organ dysfunctional disease that predominantly affects the lungs and pancreas. Cali’s condition has required breathing treatments since she was young.

“It was hard when she was little because we sometimes had to hold her down for her treatments. Now, she lets us know when she needs a treatment,” said her mother, Victoria Reiman.

Cali White turns to her barnyard friends when she is having a bad day. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Cystic Fibrosis prevents the pancreas from secreting enzymes that break down fatty foods, so some people must take enzyme supplements with every meal.

“We’re thankful. Cali’s pancreas is doing well, but we do preventative treatments because it’s a progressive disease,” Victoria said.

Anyone who meets Cali can tell Cystic Fibrosis hasn’t kept her from squeezing a lot of joy out of life. She’s a happy fifth grade student at Immaculate Conception School, and when she comes home, she heads out to the barn where she greets her favorite turkey, Jimmy, and her favorite chicken, Dart.

While most of the farm’s chicken eggs are used for food, Dart was among a group of eggs that Cali hatched in an incubator. When he was young, she often handfed him.

“I love all the colors on him. Every time I would go outside, I would feed him by hand,” she said.

When Dart was younger, Cali took him to Hopfinger Zimmerman Memorial Park and East Harbor State Park.

“One day my Mimi said we’re going to Hopfinger, and I took him. I always wanted to take a pet to the park,” Cali said. “There was a whole line of people who wanted to pet him.”

Jimmie, a Bronze turkey, gets a hug from Cali White. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Victoria and her husband, Kyle Reiman, have kept chickens since they bought their home.

“The house came with six chickens,” Victoria said, laughing.

There was no way for her to know how much those chickens would impact her daughter’s life. Cali has found pleasure and comfort in animals since she was very young. Victoria has a photo of Cali holding six ducklings when she was two.

“She’s always used animals for an outlet – not just for Cystic Fibrosis, but for anything. Anytime she was frustrated, she would come outside,” Cali said.

A lot of grownups could take lessons on stress relief from Cali.

“Animals would always just calm me down,” she said. “When I see them, I feel better.”