COLORADO, USA — Colorado is home to some of the largest cystic fibrosis centers in the country at both Children’s Hospital Colorado and National Jewish Health.
CF is a rare genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and makes it harder to breathe over time. It’s inherited by the patients’ parents and is typically diagnosed as newborns. It causes damage to the lungs and digestive system and produces a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the patients’ airways.
9NEWS and 20 other young professionals recently visited Children’s Hospital Colorado to learn about the disorder and what treatments are like for a CF patient.
Children’s Hospital oversees about 400 children with the disease, while National Jewish Health sees about 400 adults living with CF.
Jordana Hoppe, one of five primary CF providers at Children’s Hospital, said she’s passionate about helping her patients thrive despite their disorder.
“What motivates me to want to continue to do research and continue to see patients in clinic is so those patients can go on and do whatever they want to do,” Hoppe said.
Patients must go through several breathing treatments each day to clear out the mucus trapped in their lungs. One of those treatments is using a vibrating vest to shake up the secretions.
In just the past 10 years, four breakthrough drugs have dramatically impacted people with CG, giving them a better quality of life.
"We have highly effective treatments that target the abnormal protein in CF and help to improve lung function, help with growth, decrease amount of salt they lose from their sweat and hopefully extend their lives for about 90% of the CF population,” Hoppe said.
There’s still 10% who have other mutations of this disease that won’t benefit from these medications.
"Being able to target the CF gene will be the ultimate cure for everybody because it won't be mutation specific," Hoppe said.
That’s why researchers won’t stop until a cure for CF is found.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) funds hundreds of millions dollar in research. In 1955, the life expectancy was fewer than 10 years for people living with CF. Now, with all of the latest therapies, people with CF are living into their 40s or longer.
I was nominated to be a part of CFF's fundraising campaign this year. I focused on spreading awareness about the disease and raising money to find new treatments for patients with CF.
My goal is to raise $5,000 for the nonprofit. If you can spare a few extra dollars and you'd like to donate to my fundraising efforts – I would be incredibly grateful for your support!
You can donate here: finest.cff.org/rockymountain/daniellegrant
Every dollar gets CF patients closer to a cure.
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