Role model beats odds every year: 45-y.o. CF Patient
Role model beats odds every year: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Linda Bowman recently celebrated her 45th birthday. Five-year-old Kristy Lamb hopes to eventually celebrate hers, too.They are both fighting cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes their bodies to produce thick mucus that clogs their lungs. Half of people with the disease live until age 32; the rest die before that age.
But Bowman, of Boca Raton, beats statistics. That’s why she’s a role model for Kristy, of Coral Springs, and other young cystic fibrosis patients hoping to see their futures.
More at http://www.cff.org/home/
Cystic Fibrosis, Hypertonic Saline, and Surfing
South Bend Tribune: Surfers inspire new cystic fibrosis treatment
Hypertonic saline treatment was inspired by some surfers in Australia who, like Devon, also have CF.
They told their doctors that what made them feel especially good was a day on the ocean waves.
Researchers down under and also at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill put the surfers’ tale to the test.
With backing from the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, they had a group of CF patients inhale 7 percent saline solution twice daily for a year while a control group inhaled normal saline.
Those receiving salty mist had improved lung function and, more importantly, fewer serious lung infections requiring hospitalization.