Catherine's 10,000ft Solo Skydive for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Catherine P is raising money for Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Participants: Logan Read - www.justgiving.com/logan-cf-skydive/
Story
My name is Catherine, I am 18 and this summer I will be jumping out of a plane (with a parachute, of course!) by myself in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Here is why...
At first I probably just seem like a ordinary teenager, but I am actually one of the 10,000 sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in the UK.
For those of you who don't know, CF is an inherited, life-threatening, chronic disease which affects many organs in the body, especially the lungs and the digestive system. CF is an invisible illness - sufferers may look healthy, but are instead battling it on the inside. It affects most daily activities as it causes thick mucous build up in the respiratory system, causing a constant cough and making it hard to breathe, as well as rendering the digestive system useless without enzyme supplements every time we eat (this makes it very hard to keep up a healthy weight). It also affects the liver, sinuses and reproductive system. It involves an array of intensive treatments just so we can keep on breathing, including physiotherapy, nebulisers, over fifty pills daily, antibiotics, IVs, x-rays, CT scans, blood tests and for many, hospitalisation. There is currently no cure.
CF is caused by a faulty gene in the body, carried by 1 in 25 of you in the UK, usually unknowingly. It takes two people both carrying these faulty genes for a baby to be born with Cystic Fibrosis.
When I was born I was diagnosed with this illness after a life saving operation at 24 hours old. The average life expectancy then was just 30. It is through the hard work of fundraisers that the treatments for sufferers like myself have raised the lifespan by a whole decade, and I want to help and give something back to those who have helped me over the years with my CF, and fight for the right for everyone to keep breathing.
At first I probably just seem like a ordinary teenager, but I am actually one of the 10,000 sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in the UK.
For those of you who don't know, CF is an inherited, life-threatening, chronic disease which affects many organs in the body, especially the lungs and the digestive system. CF is an invisible illness - sufferers may look healthy, but are instead battling it on the inside. It affects most daily activities as it causes thick mucous build up in the respiratory system, causing a constant cough and making it hard to breathe, as well as rendering the digestive system useless without enzyme supplements every time we eat (this makes it very hard to keep up a healthy weight). It also affects the liver, sinuses and reproductive system. It involves an array of intensive treatments just so we can keep on breathing, including physiotherapy, nebulisers, over fifty pills daily, antibiotics, IVs, x-rays, CT scans, blood tests and for many, hospitalisation. There is currently no cure.
CF is caused by a faulty gene in the body, carried by 1 in 25 of you in the UK, usually unknowingly. It takes two people both carrying these faulty genes for a baby to be born with Cystic Fibrosis.
When I was born I was diagnosed with this illness after a life saving operation at 24 hours old. The average life expectancy then was just 30. It is through the hard work of fundraisers that the treatments for sufferers like myself have raised the lifespan by a whole decade, and I want to help and give something back to those who have helped me over the years with my CF, and fight for the right for everyone to keep breathing.