For most people dining at Easton's Bon Vie Restaurant two Sundays ago, it was just another typical weekend brunch. For the DeArdo family, however, this meal meant so much more.
My family gathered at this trendy French restaurant on April 9 not only to celebrate my sister Emily DeArdo's 24th birthday, but to also celebrate her new life.
This was the first birthday that Emily would have with her two new lungs. She received them via a double-transplant surgery July 11, 2005 at Children's Hospital. Emily was in need of new lungs because of a disease called Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease involving a sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs that makes breathing difficult and leads to infections. It might also cause pancreatic insufficiency that often causes digestive problems. It is a recessive disease that occurs only when a child inherits two mutated copies of the CF gene, or one CF gene from each parent. CF affects 30,000 Americans. The average life expectancy for someone with CF is 35 years.
When Emily was diagnosed with CF in 1993 at age 11, life as she knew it would never be the same. After her diagnosis, her typical day included several therapy sessions that used breathing machines. In addition, she had to take enzymes prior to anything she ate. During the course of the next 12 years, Emily also had to endure pneumonia and bouts of pancreatitis. She often spent many days, weeks and holidays at Children's Hospital.Read more: http://www.thelantern.com/2.1345/lung-donor-gives-recipient-a-new-lease-on-life-1.82051#.TtvZa2DA1RE
My family gathered at this trendy French restaurant on April 9 not only to celebrate my sister Emily DeArdo's 24th birthday, but to also celebrate her new life.
This was the first birthday that Emily would have with her two new lungs. She received them via a double-transplant surgery July 11, 2005 at Children's Hospital. Emily was in need of new lungs because of a disease called Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease involving a sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs that makes breathing difficult and leads to infections. It might also cause pancreatic insufficiency that often causes digestive problems. It is a recessive disease that occurs only when a child inherits two mutated copies of the CF gene, or one CF gene from each parent. CF affects 30,000 Americans. The average life expectancy for someone with CF is 35 years.
When Emily was diagnosed with CF in 1993 at age 11, life as she knew it would never be the same. After her diagnosis, her typical day included several therapy sessions that used breathing machines. In addition, she had to take enzymes prior to anything she ate. During the course of the next 12 years, Emily also had to endure pneumonia and bouts of pancreatitis. She often spent many days, weeks and holidays at Children's Hospital.Read more: http://www.thelantern.com/2.1345/lung-donor-gives-recipient-a-new-lease-on-life-1.82051#.TtvZa2DA1RE
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