CF Foundation in Baton Rouge

Introduction

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that: clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

The “common cold” for a child with Cystic Fibrosis requires immediate hospitalization and treatments. On average they will stay in the hospital for about a week. Baton Rouge in in need of a center for children and young adults to come for outpatient treatments and education. This center will also be the home for the cystic fibrosis foundation creating a central base for those who are struggling with the disease.

Problem Statement

There are hundreds of children with Cystic Fibrosis in Louisiana, and over 30 who live directly in Baton Rouge. When people who have this disease are infected with a virus as simple as the common cold, it requires intense therapy and sometimes inpatient treatment. This treatment on average lasts one to two weeks. Could you imagine, every time you had a cold spending two weeks in the hospital? Creating a Cystic Fibrosis center in Baton Rouge will provide a place for where children can feel comfortable and safe while being able to relate with other children going through the same thing. This center will help to prevent patients from being hospitalized through education and outpatient treatments. It will be a place for families to come together and carry their burdens together, while the foundation comes under in a wider scope raising funds for research and support. There are over a hundred cystic fibrosis centers across the United States that will provide for precedents to this children’s CF center in Baton Rouge.

Mission

Seeking the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.