Epilogue: Cystic fibrosis doesn't slow athlete or family

By: Chris Dunker 12/21/14

http://journalstar.com/news/local/epilogue-cystic-fibrosis-doesn-t-slow-athlete-or-family/article_b207c57d-692b-51bd-95ad-0dafaf1a84a2.html

Dunker, Chris. "Epilogue: Cystic Fibrosis Doesn't Slow Athlete or Family : Lincoln, NE Journal

         Star." JournalStar.com. JournalStar.com, 21 Dec. 2014. Web. 08 Jan. 2015.\

        David Jennings, a Nebraskan defensive lineman was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at a young age. Everyday, he has to take 60 pills and has to go through many different treatments just to get through a regular day. This includes having to use an inflatable vest that pounds his chest and back to loosen up the muscus that could trap up his lungs. Jennings hasn't let his disease get to him, however and continues to play just as any other football player would. Some of the coaches aren't even aware of his condition. Even with the amount of processes David has to endure every day, he is considered lucky compared to his two siblings who combined, are blind, have autism, are paralyzed, and are paralyzed.The average lifespan of someone who has cystic fibrosis is 18 years and yet David Jennings has been giver 40 years to live now and he claims that he will use every minute to its fullest potential. He also says that its not the wins and losses that matter, its the ability to play a sport he loves when there are thousands of people with his condition who can't even walk.

      This article relates to our curriculum in unit 5 having to do with mutations. Cystic fibrosis is caused by gene CFTR located on chromosome 7. We learned about how chromosomal mutations can affect long strands of DNA and can cause a lot of damage in the long term. Every year there are about 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis adding up to about 30,000 cases in the United States. This disease causes mucus to build up in the lungs and harden making it hard to breathe and in a lot of times can kill the person. As said in the article, most people who have cystic fibrosis are only given 18 years to live. The buildup in the lungs can also make it hard to eat food so some people with this condition are required to be fed through a tube because they cannot swallow.