My Great Strides Story
Rhea Lawton
Rhea Lawton
Cystic Fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that currently affects approximately 40,000 children and young adults in the United States. Research and care supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are making a huge difference in the lives of those with CF.
Bryan Lawton was born with Cystic Fibrosis. This life-threatening genetic disease affected his lungs and digestive system and caused mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly in his lungs and pancreas. When mucus clogs the lungs, it can make breathing very difficult. Mucus also can block the digestive tract and pancreas. The mucus stops digestive enzymes from getting to the intestines. The body needs these enzymes to break down food, which provides important nutrients to help CF patients grow and stay healthy.
Luckily, Bryan had a double lung transplant in October of 1997 that enabled him to breathe normally for the first time. Over the years, Bryan continued to exercise and keep his strength up as he battled cystic fibrosis.
Bryan was able to breathe after the transplant, but he developed CF-related diabetes soon afterwards. By the time I came along, he had already spent years perfecting his injections. CF is brutal on the pancreas. His upper arms looked like a heroin junkie’s. He had a long-term dose he would take in the morning and a short-term he would take before meals. When we went on trips, we took a small cooler filled with ice that he used to store the medication. It was just part of the regular routine. One shelf in the refrigerator door was reserved for the injections. He kept a card in his wallet that had all the dosages needed, but he rarely looked at it. He knew the numbers and he knew his body all the way up until the kidney issues. After that...well, it was hit or miss, and the few times it was a miss, it would scare the poop out of a girl.
After 20 years of being on anti-rejection meds from the lung transplant, Bryan’s kidneys finally gave out and we were looking at trying to get on the transplant list again for a new kidney. Complications landed us in Baptist East for a month where he continued to fight his battle all the way up to the end on March 7, 2019.
I need your help to meet my fundraising goal. Your generous gift will be used to help support the Foundation’s mission of finding a cure and improving the lives of those with CF. And, your gift is 100-percent tax deductible.
Making a donation is easy and secure. Just click the Donate link above. It will take you to my page where you can select me as the recipient and will allow you to fill out the rest of the information to make a donation that will support my team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated. Your support will help fuel lifesaving CF programs.
You can also come out to the Great Strides Walk on May 3rd at the Shelby Farms Park and support my team, Lungs For Life.
To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit Arkansas/West TN Chapter Cystic Fibrosis.
Thank you for supporting Great Strides! Together, we can make a difference and add tomorrows to the lives of those with CF.
Bryan Lawton was born with Cystic Fibrosis. This life-threatening genetic disease affected his lungs and digestive system and caused mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly in his lungs and pancreas. When mucus clogs the lungs, it can make breathing very difficult. Mucus also can block the digestive tract and pancreas. The mucus stops digestive enzymes from getting to the intestines. The body needs these enzymes to break down food, which provides important nutrients to help CF patients grow and stay healthy.
Luckily, Bryan had a double lung transplant in October of 1997 that enabled him to breathe normally for the first time. Over the years, Bryan continued to exercise and keep his strength up as he battled cystic fibrosis.
Bryan was able to breathe after the transplant, but he developed CF-related diabetes soon afterwards. By the time I came along, he had already spent years perfecting his injections. CF is brutal on the pancreas. His upper arms looked like a heroin junkie’s. He had a long-term dose he would take in the morning and a short-term he would take before meals. When we went on trips, we took a small cooler filled with ice that he used to store the medication. It was just part of the regular routine. One shelf in the refrigerator door was reserved for the injections. He kept a card in his wallet that had all the dosages needed, but he rarely looked at it. He knew the numbers and he knew his body all the way up until the kidney issues. After that...well, it was hit or miss, and the few times it was a miss, it would scare the poop out of a girl.
After 20 years of being on anti-rejection meds from the lung transplant, Bryan’s kidneys finally gave out and we were looking at trying to get on the transplant list again for a new kidney. Complications landed us in Baptist East for a month where he continued to fight his battle all the way up to the end on March 7, 2019.
I need your help to meet my fundraising goal. Your generous gift will be used to help support the Foundation’s mission of finding a cure and improving the lives of those with CF. And, your gift is 100-percent tax deductible.
Making a donation is easy and secure. Just click the Donate link above. It will take you to my page where you can select me as the recipient and will allow you to fill out the rest of the information to make a donation that will support my team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated. Your support will help fuel lifesaving CF programs.
You can also come out to the Great Strides Walk on May 3rd at the Shelby Farms Park and support my team, Lungs For Life.
To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit Arkansas/West TN Chapter Cystic Fibrosis.
Thank you for supporting Great Strides! Together, we can make a difference and add tomorrows to the lives of those with CF.
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