This weekend community members are uniting in the Gallatin Valley to raise awareness about a disease that currently has no cure.
Researchers say cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic disease of children and young adults and over time weakens a person’s lungs and heart.
Eight-year-old Carsten Manring of Three Forks is living with cystic fibrosis and says sometimes it makes him feel different from other kids.
“The enzymes in my pancreas don’t work and I have to do two 20-minute treatments a day because in normal people’s lungs their mucus is slick and in mine it’s sticky,” Carsten said.
Carsten is just one of many local kids who is supported by the Cody Dieruf Benefit Foundation. In addition to covering his medical bills, the charity pays for Carsten’s fiddle lessons. One of the organization’s goals is to help kids living with cystic fibrosis lead a normal life through extra-curricular activities.
A benefit walk is being held Saturday in memory of a 23-year-old Bozeman native who died of the disease in 2005.
“It’s an awareness walk for everybody to understand that cystic fibrosis has infiltrated our community and that our community has come forward and helped us immensely,” said Ginny Dieruf who lost her daughter to cystic fibrosis.
The awareness activities begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. The walk starts at 1 p.m.
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