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Current Issue Links
Organizers of the Fifth Annual Great Strides Walk invite you to
come on out this Saturday, Dec. 3, to help raise funds for
research on cystic fibrosis. The event will take place at the Cerro
Coso Community College track, with registration at 9 a.m. and
the walk starting at 10 a.m.
Sandwiches, cookies, coffee and water will be provided for all
walkers.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the
lungs and digestive systems of some 30,000 children and adults
in the United States.
According to Eric Frisbee, Great Strides Walk organizer and
father of two daughters with cystic fibrosis, “Our girls are not the
only ones in town with CF. There’s a newborn with CF now. There
is a newborn screening test that really helps the kids to get an
early start with proper medical care. There are also two young
adults with CF in town.”
He and his wife, Julie, dedicate a large portion of their lives to
keeping Taylor, 7, and Isabella, 4, healthy with the daily
treatments they must undergo to fight CF. The Frisbees also have
a son, Trevor, 10, who helps.
come on out this Saturday, Dec. 3, to help raise funds for
research on cystic fibrosis. The event will take place at the Cerro
Coso Community College track, with registration at 9 a.m. and
the walk starting at 10 a.m.
Sandwiches, cookies, coffee and water will be provided for all
walkers.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the
lungs and digestive systems of some 30,000 children and adults
in the United States.
According to Eric Frisbee, Great Strides Walk organizer and
father of two daughters with cystic fibrosis, “Our girls are not the
only ones in town with CF. There’s a newborn with CF now. There
is a newborn screening test that really helps the kids to get an
early start with proper medical care. There are also two young
adults with CF in town.”
He and his wife, Julie, dedicate a large portion of their lives to
keeping Taylor, 7, and Isabella, 4, healthy with the daily
treatments they must undergo to fight CF. The Frisbees also have
a son, Trevor, 10, who helps.
“They’re doing really well on new therapies developed by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,” said Eric.
Taylor and Isabella spend two hours every day on a nebulizer machine, which allows antibiotics and other
medications to be converted to a mist and inhaled. They also wear pneumatic vests that “thump” their chests
to break up mucus and keep the girls from getting lung infections.
“With all the progress that has been made, Taylor is now in third grade and is a member of the IWV Swim
Team. She loves doing it! Both girls do ballet dancing, too. Physical exercise helps them both so much,” said
Eric.
Since the disease is known as an “orphan disease,” one that doesn’t affect as large a part of the
population as do some other diseases, much of the research currently being conducted is funded via private
donations and funds raised by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through events such as the Great Strides Walk.
Many in our town realize that and help by participating in and giving to the Great Strides Walk, or otherwise
getting involved. Local businesses have been generously donating sponsorships or holding fund-raising
events such as bake sales. For more information about sponsorships or making donations, contact Tina
Frisbee at 760-375-8353, or Felice McLane at 760-371-9656.
Even four local schools have gotten involved. Pierce Elementary, Gateway Elementary, Murray Middle
School and the Burroughs High School AVID Club are holding a spare change drive, called “Change for a
Cure.”
During the 1950s few children with CF lived to attend elementary school. Since 1989, when the CF gene
was identified, advances in research and medical treatments have enhanced and extended the lives of
children and adults with CF. Today, the predicted median survival age is more than 37 years.
The Frisbees became involved with the Walk in 2007, after meeting the then-president of CFF.
“We asked him what we could do to help, and he asked us to do the Great Strides Walk in our town of
Ridgecrest. So far, the four previous Walks have generated a total of $136,438 — all from our little community!
We were just amazed that such a small community could generate such generosity and compassion,” said
Eric.
“I’d like to thank the whole town of Ridgecrest for supporting this event and the research that it’s made
possible.”
He said there are currently about 30 potential new drugs in clinical trials for CF applications.
“Two are really exciting. One has finished the third phase of clinical trials. It’s called a modulator, and it
allows the protein that goes through the cell to act as a channel to fix the CF protein at the root cause. But you
still need a second drug to act as a corrector. That allows the protein to form.
“In people with CF, the protein does not even form, and this drug combination may help go around that
problem,” said Eric.
“The second drug is now in Phase 2, but it’s not working quite as well as they hoped. They need another
$70 million for research using robotics, to try to find a better corrector. They’re also funding another $17
million through a second company for more research on small-molecule technology. This research opens up
a new door to possibilities of treatment.”
For more information about CF, see the websites at www.ericfrisbee.com/walk or www.cff.org
Taylor and Isabella spend two hours every day on a nebulizer machine, which allows antibiotics and other
medications to be converted to a mist and inhaled. They also wear pneumatic vests that “thump” their chests
to break up mucus and keep the girls from getting lung infections.
“With all the progress that has been made, Taylor is now in third grade and is a member of the IWV Swim
Team. She loves doing it! Both girls do ballet dancing, too. Physical exercise helps them both so much,” said
Eric.
Since the disease is known as an “orphan disease,” one that doesn’t affect as large a part of the
population as do some other diseases, much of the research currently being conducted is funded via private
donations and funds raised by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through events such as the Great Strides Walk.
Many in our town realize that and help by participating in and giving to the Great Strides Walk, or otherwise
getting involved. Local businesses have been generously donating sponsorships or holding fund-raising
events such as bake sales. For more information about sponsorships or making donations, contact Tina
Frisbee at 760-375-8353, or Felice McLane at 760-371-9656.
Even four local schools have gotten involved. Pierce Elementary, Gateway Elementary, Murray Middle
School and the Burroughs High School AVID Club are holding a spare change drive, called “Change for a
Cure.”
During the 1950s few children with CF lived to attend elementary school. Since 1989, when the CF gene
was identified, advances in research and medical treatments have enhanced and extended the lives of
children and adults with CF. Today, the predicted median survival age is more than 37 years.
The Frisbees became involved with the Walk in 2007, after meeting the then-president of CFF.
“We asked him what we could do to help, and he asked us to do the Great Strides Walk in our town of
Ridgecrest. So far, the four previous Walks have generated a total of $136,438 — all from our little community!
We were just amazed that such a small community could generate such generosity and compassion,” said
Eric.
“I’d like to thank the whole town of Ridgecrest for supporting this event and the research that it’s made
possible.”
He said there are currently about 30 potential new drugs in clinical trials for CF applications.
“Two are really exciting. One has finished the third phase of clinical trials. It’s called a modulator, and it
allows the protein that goes through the cell to act as a channel to fix the CF protein at the root cause. But you
still need a second drug to act as a corrector. That allows the protein to form.
“In people with CF, the protein does not even form, and this drug combination may help go around that
problem,” said Eric.
“The second drug is now in Phase 2, but it’s not working quite as well as they hoped. They need another
$70 million for research using robotics, to try to find a better corrector. They’re also funding another $17
million through a second company for more research on small-molecule technology. This research opens up
a new door to possibilities of treatment.”
For more information about CF, see the websites at www.ericfrisbee.com/walk or www.cff.org
Great Strides Walk is this weekend
By LINDA SAHOLT
News Review Correspondent
News Review Correspondent
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Taylor and Isabella Frisbee take their daily
breathing treatments as part of a regimen
that keeps them healthy.
breathing treatments as part of a regimen
that keeps them healthy.
| Courtesy Photo |