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/ 

Alpha One Antitrypsen Deficiency

Vail Daily News for Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado – News

In Denver, a respiratory therapist suggested a blood test. A positive result would explain everything. And what if it is? Canada wanted to know. What is the cure?”There is no cure,” replied the therapist. “Only a lung transplant.”

Dean Canada is among an estimated 100,000 Americans who were dealt a pair of bad cards, two corrupted genes that produce a condition called Alpha One Antitrypsen Deficiency.

This disorder causes the livers of its victims to work improperly. The liver prevents the release of a protein needed for healthy functioning of the lungs. Most victims begin suffering when they are 39 or 40.

More at http://www.alphaone.org/