Jonah Bergstrom isn’t tired of telling his story.  

At least not yet.

The Pine City senior refuses to be defined by his cystic fibrosis, a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

“I’ve always been aware of it, but it’s never been an issue,” Bergstrom said on Friday afternoon before his team's game against St. Paul Highland Park.  

Scoring has also never been an issue for Bergstrom, who set the Pine City record for career points with three goals and two assists  during the Dragons’ 9-2 win over Northern Lakes on Jan. 9.

“It was just crazy,” Bergstrom said of his first thoughts after passing Jonah Sauter’s mark of 198 on the Dragons’ all-time list and finishing the game with 200 career points.  

“I was just thinking about all my buddies I played with and how they all helped me get there.”

In addition to Bergstrom's buddies, Jonah's brother Dusty is a sophomore defenseman for the Dragons.

"We always joke that their parents are going bananas in the stands when they hear Bergstrom from Bergstrom," Pine City coach Grant Nicoll said with a chuckle, adding that the cystic fibrosis was a general unknown to some of Bergstrom's teammates. 

“I would say a lot of the kids didn’t even know until the first game of the year,” Nicoll said. 

“It’s not like everyone was keeping it hush-hush, but it’s just not something he walks around with a billboard saying ‘I have C.F.’”

Nicoll, who is Bergstrom’s godfather, admitted that it was difficult not to let his emotion show after Bergstrom set the career scoring mark. 

“I’d be lying if I said that the eyes didn’t well up a little bit when he hit two-hundred on Tuesday,” Nicoll said with a grin. 

“It was pretty special.”

In addition to being his godfather, Nicoll is a first-cousin of Jonah’s father, giving him a unique perspective on Jonah’s growth, since he's been a part of his life since birth. 

“It was scary, and everyone was worried,” Nicoll said of the initial diagnosis. 

“(But) it’s turned out now that he’s breaking school records, and he’s captain of the hockey team, and the football team, and the tennis team,” Nicoll continued. 

“So when a new set of parents find out they’re pregnant and their kid has this genetic disease, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.”

With a true competitor’s spirit, Bergstrom reiterated that he wants to leave a legacy of leadership with the Dragons, and that legacy outweighs scoring records and his cystic fibrosis. 

“(My story) is helping kids with C.F. (to see) that they can do things, that’s what I like about it,” Bergstrom said. 

“But, if people make it look like I’m struggling, I don’t like that."