Cystic fibrosis walk helps battle disease

Gina Pfau has learned to avoid large crowds. For her the common cold can create uncommon trouble. “If I get a cold, I’m out twice as long as most people,” she said.

That’s because germs that cause many to merely sniffle and sneeze can put Pfau in the hospital. The 27-year-old medical assistant suffers from cystic fibrosis, an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States.

But on June 4 at Gonzaga University, she and many others will be walking for a cure in the annual Great Strides walk – a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The walk is approximately 3 miles and winds around the Centennial Trail.

Pfau, the youngest of six, was diagnosed with the disease at 2. “My parents thought I had bronchitis all the time,” she recalled. “I wasn’t gaining weight.”

After the diagnosis, she and her family embarked on a journey involving breathing treatments, frequent hospitalizations and lots of medications. “I take 20 to 30 pills a day,” Pfau said.

Still, she said she’s determined to live “as normally as possible.” In fact, instead of making her feel different from other kids, in grade school CF added to her popularity. She had to go to the school office every day before lunch to take the enzymes that help digest her food. Her friends would fight to be the one chosen to walk to the office with her.

She also participated in sports – particularly softball. “But most of the time,” Pfau said, “I’d get sick and not be able to finish the season.”

This year the Great Strides walk has additional poignancy for Pfau. Her 2 1/2-year-old niece, Jersey McDermott, also has CF. “I really want things to get better for my niece,” she said.

Pfau said that 90 percent of the funds raised during the Great Strides event will go directly to research.

Jack and Janet Arkills are anxious for a cure as well. Ten years ago, their grandson Nathan Finke was born in Pasco, six weeks premature and diagnosed with CF. “We did our first walk (Great Strides) while Nathan was in the hospital,” said Janet Arkills.

The couple organized Team Nathan with their daughter Amy (Nathan’s mom), and in addition to participating in Great Strides, they’ve held bake sales and are sponsoring an upcoming bike ride. In fact, Team Nathan is one of the top fundraising teams in the state.

Arkills said Nathan spends two to three hours a day treating his CF with a compression vest and breathing treatments. The vest helps dislodge the thick mucus that clogs his lungs and can lead to infection. Like Pfau, Nathan takes 30 pills a day.

In spite of that, “Nathan is your typical Nintendo Wii- playing, computer-savvy kid,” said Arkills. “It’s a privilege to have him as a grandchild. We enjoy his personality.”

She notes his life expectancy is better than some with CF, because he was diagnosed so early. Indeed, Pfau said that when she was originally diagnosed she was told she’d live to age 18. “Now, my life expectancy is 38,” she said.

And at 27, she’s optimistic about the new treatments being developed that could greatly extend her life.

But for now, she said, “I live every day as it is. I try not to look too far down the road.”