Thiago’s nanny Kate and his great aunt Helen will be swimming TWENTY ONE miles in July to help make sure everybody with cystic fibrosis can live a life unlimited.

In the pool they will complete at, 92 lengths equates to one mile. That is 1,932 lengths to swim to reach target of 21 miles!

The fundraising will be helping the Cystic Fibrosis Trust fund vital research as they race towards effective treatments for all. The work from the CF trust directly impacts Thiago and 11,000 other families across the UK.

What is CF?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic condition that causes the body to produce thicker sticky mucus primarily in the lungs and pancreas. This mucus buildup can lead to serious digestion issues and recurrent lung infections. CF is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene which prevent chloride from moving to the cell surface.

How are you born with cystic fibrosis?

In order to be born with cystic fibrosis (often and in Thiago’s case discovered after the newborn heel prick screening test) baby must inherit one faulty gene mutation from each parent.

1 in 25 people carry a faulty cftr gene, the chances of two parents unknowingly carrying one of these genes is uncommon. When two carriers do have a child, the chance of the baby inheriting both genes is a 1 in 4 chance (25%).

Thiago has a common gene and a very rare one. We as a family will not stop fundraising every year until those CFers with two rare inherited gene mutations are able to access modulator drugs (to improve day to day life with CF). Our hope is that one day all CFers are able to access these drugs.

This year, the CF trust marked their 60th year of investing on CF research and discovering. Every year things are improving.

Nanny Kate and auntie Helen - Thankyou and HAPPY SWIMMING!