People with Cystic Fibrosis can look completely healthy on the outside and thanks to medical advances, most people with CF can go to school, work, socialise, travel and play sports. However the daily treatment regime is relentless. Those with the disease take between 25 to 40 tablets daily, undergo chest physiotherapy, breathing treatments, inhalers, nebulisers, a tailored diet and exercise regime to boost lung function. People with CF may require regular hospitalisation for IV antibiotics, sinus surgeries and when the damage is too great to control, patients may be listed on the transplant list, most commonly for lungs and/or a liver.
A surprising fact for many is that 1 in 25 people are carriers of the CF gene and most are not aware. When two carriers reproduce they have a 1 in 4 chance of having a child with CF. For more information on living with Cystic Fibrosis click here.