Update on Melissa

At the beginning of the pregnancy with Melissa, I was tested for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The test came back that I was a carrier. Paul also had to be tested as well. His test came back that he was a carrier. What this meant for us was that Melissa had a 25% chance that she would be born with CF or a 75% chance she would be a carrier or not have it at all.

You maybe asking the question what is CF? I will get to that.

We where sent to a genetic specialist to talk about CF. This is where we got all the good sonogram pictures of Melissa. Dr. Albert was looking for CF in Melissa's lungs and digestive system. He never saw anything, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. The only way we would know if Melissa had CF was to do a DNA test. We could have had a test done during the pregnancy, but there was a risk of loosing Melissa. Paul and I said we would wait until she was born to have her tested.

So here we are today. Melissa does have CF. We met with a team of specialist at Children's Hospital of Dallas today 7/5/07 and learned so much about CF. We do have our hands full, but with God seeing us through this and the support from our family and friends, we will be fine.

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
a.. clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
b.. obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school.

Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

We ask that you go the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website. http://www.cff.org/ This website is the only one you need to read. There is a lot of false information out there on the Internet.

Also we will be calling on you to help us with the Great Stride walk in September. This helps raise money for the CF Foundation. Thanks for your prayers.

Love,
Paul, Traci and Melissa