On 17th May 2020 I am joining the 65 Roses team to participate in the City to Casino (C2C) Walk in Hobart, Tasmania, to fundraise for Cystic Fibrosis.
What is cystic fibrosis?
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) primarily affects the lungs and digestive system because of a malfunction in the exocrine system that’s responsible for producing saliva, sweat, tears and mucus. There is currently no cure.
People with CF develop an abnormal amount of excessively thick and sticky mucus within the lungs, airways and the digestive system. This causes impairment of the digestive functions of the pancreas and traps bacteria in the lungs resulting in recurrent infections, leading to irreversible damage. Lung failure is the major cause of death for someone with CF.
From birth, a person with CF undergoes constant medical treatments and physiotherapy.
Who gets cystic fibrosis?
CF is autosomal recessive meaning that it occurs equally in males and females. The CF gene must be inherited from both parents and it can skip generations.
In Australia, one in 2,500 babies are born with CF, that’s one every four days. On average one in 25 people carry the CF gene and most are unaware that they are carriers. Because carriers of CF are unaffected and therefore show no symptoms, it is hard for them to appreciate that CF may be a real risk.
Any of us could be a carrier and we wouldn’t know. Think about it, that’s about 1 million unaware carriers – it could be you!
In Tasmania, 1 in 20 people carry the CF gene. This is the second highest rate in the world behind Ireland.
As well as undertaking the walk I will be making beanies, head and sweatbands to sell as a way of helping my fundraising efforts towards this very worthy cause. These will be posted to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VickiRule1958. Alternatively, you can just make a donation which will be tax deductible!
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