Ryder was diagnosed with Cycstic Fibrosis through a routine heel- prick blood screening when he was born. His parents, Raven and Britt are one of my bridal couples from a few years ago, and they asked if I would join them in covering their Great Strides walk for a cure in Huntington Beach last weekend. It was on the books for six months and I couldn't wait to be a part of such a special event in their lives.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. * About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year. * More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two. * More than 45% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older. * The predicted median age of survival for a person with CF is in the mid-30s.
To learn more about how you can help, please go to http://www.cff.org
Ryder\'s Striders Cystic Fibrosis Walk 2011
Article originally appeared on Fried Nerves Blog (http://www.moanavida.com/).
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