"Adding Tomorrows".....Join The Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis

Parents want their kids to be healthy and happy. Even during pregnancy I remember envisioning what my child would be like and having an ill child never entered my mind. For one local mom, Renee Donoghue, this was not the case. Her first born, Tommy, was born premature and spent 4 ½ months in the hospital and had heart problems. Renee's faith, family support and loving husband of nineteen years, helped her get through this harrowing time and luckily, Tommy is now a healthy, baseball playing fifteen year old. But, the Donoghue's journey was not over, her youngest daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a baby and the Donoghue's path was changed forever.

Renee details some of their story on www.cure4Hannah.com and writes, "It was time for the grieving to begin; believe it or not we were grieving. The loss of a healthy child is overwhelming at times. All our hopes and dreams for her were gone with that phone call. We knew very little about CF and what we did know was not good. We thought she was going to die and we had no idea how long we had to spend with her." Not only did Renee and her husband have to go through the grieving process, but they also had to help their son cope. When Tommy was young, he was worried that his sister would die in her sleep. After family counseling, Tommy was able to open up more about his feelings about the disease and the effects on Hannah. Tommy is now active in fundraising efforts and will be running in the Flying Pig Marathon on May 2 as part of the Cystic Fibrosis Team for Life. He also looks out for Hannah and make sure she is doing what she should to stay healthy. Having an ill sibling can take its toll, so the Donoghue's have days where they spend quality one-on-one time with Tommy. Having a wonderful family support system and having some great Aunt's allows Hannah to enjoy her day as well.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "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: clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food." There have many advances in treatment for children CF and their life expectancies have improved tremendously and are now able to live into their 30's and 40's. But even with the advances in treatments, knowing that your child's life expectancy will be so much shorter than their friends and siblings is an extremely difficult thing to imagine.

For Renee, her love for Hannah and her faith in God has made raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation not only her passion but is also a great support system. Renee told me that "Since Hannah was diagnosed there have been new antibiotics that specifically target the bacteria common in people with CF. There are drugs currently in clinical trials that can correct the CF defect and allow the lungs to function normally possibly giving CF patients a normal life expectancy. We were told when Hannah was diagnosed that a cure was expected within 5 to 10 years. We are past that point but the cure is very close and we just need money to continue the research." (read more about CFF's research and research milestones). Renee has been an active volunteer and fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and her team, Hannah's Banana's, has been instrumental in raising over $125,000 since 2001 and her generous supporters keep on giving. If you'd like to help raise money for cystic fibrosis, register for the Great Strides Walk to be held at the beautiful Pine Hill Lakes Park in Mason on May 8 at 9am.

Hannah, age 9, is in fourth grade and like most girls her age she enjoys playing sports. She's in a softball league (Renee is head coach) and she can hit a line drive to the outfield. She also stated showing an interest in playing basketball. The Donoghue's encourage being active and staying fit since exercise helps kids with CF clear their lungs and improve their cardiovascular health.

Renee's volunteerism and active fundraising to fight the battle against Cystic Fibrosis as well as her ongoing commitment to her family make her another great person to add to MasonMetu's "Women to Watch" series. We'll have some more interesting things about Renee on MasonMetu so I hope you'll stop by soon.

Sources:
http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/