This is the only non football related page on this site and is dedicated to an illness that I know only too much about. It is also dedicated to the 1,000`s of CF sufferers WorldWide.

I`d never even heard of CF until Jan 1989 when I met my wife for the first time. After around four weeks together she took the brave decision the tell me that she had this illness. CF is NOT an illness that can be caught or passed on, it is hereditary and is a defective gene that, among other things, screws up the digestive system of the sufferer. This mean that a number of tablets have to be taken before EACH AND EVERY meal, wity no exceptions.

CF also causes lung damage, so smoking is strictly forbidden. A CF sufferer will possibly be short of breath and will cough more than a non-CF. Should a sufferer contract a chest or lung infection, then a course of intra-venous anti-biotics can be perscribed if normal oral anti-biotics are not potent enough to clear it.

A CF sufferer will be on regular anti-biotics anyway, they may take vitamin supplements, various inhaled drugs may also be used as normal. CF also causes a sticky mucus to collect in the airwaves and on the lungs which needs regular physio to keep loose and clear. This can involve the sufferer being banged on the front, back and either side for what can be up to an hour a day.

When my wife became pregnant back in 1993, we knew that it wasn`t going to be easy, and she spent seven weeks in hospital before and after our daughter was born. Add to that a number of hospital stays for infections for around 18 months after that, then it was not an easy time.
The news that our daughter had also been born with CF was not much of a shock to us. The risk was 50% anyway, we then found out that I also have the CF gene, although not the full illness, and the risk increased to 75%. Besides, who better to care for a CF child than someone whose been through it all herself.

Our daughter is now almost thirteen years of age and will start `big` school in Sept 2007 and you`d never know that she has this illness. Her first day at school was one of the proudest of my life and it still makes me feel somewhat humble to see her trotting off to school with her books and bags seemingly without a worry in the world. She`s just like a normal child, despite the fact that she has to have 27 tablets/capsules a day, four spoonfuls of anti-biotic a day and various vitamins and of course the physio. All this is when she is well and must be done daily NO EXCEPTIONS. She has her lunch at school, and has to take her tablets there, I`ve no idea what the other kids in her class think, but Kirsty doesn`t seem concerned about it.

As for my wife, she`s been on oxygen overnight since the summer of 1998, this helps keep her oxygen-blood level up to a resonable level whilst she sleeps and from October 1998 she`s been on an NG feed every other night. This was originally a tube which she `threaded` up her nose and down into her stomach, she assured me that it just tickled when she threaded it, but I`d still rather not watch!! However in May 1999 she had a minor operation for a special 'fixed' tube to be inserted directly into her stomach. This tube then has a specially prepared feed fed through it overnight to help her keep her weight up which in turn helps fight infection. The feed resembles baby food in apperance and texture but is VERY high in calories, one night`s feed is around 1,500 calories. This of course is as well as her normal daily food intake. This feed can be done up to seven times a week if the normal daily food intake is significantly down, due to illness for example.

CF sufferers generally have difficulty in gaining weight, so in turn this means they have a eat a high calorie diet. Whilst you may look in Tesco for low cal stuff, we look at the side of the butter etc for whichever is highest in calories

Okay, I`ve had my say, I couldn`t put a web site up without a mention about CF and hopefully the next time you hear about this illness or if you pick up a cold or flu, or are put on a course of tablets, then think of others that are on various pills and potions every day of their lives

There is no known cure for CF, although hopefully that will change in the future. The worst possible scenario for any CF sufferer is transplantation, and after that....

I am, and always will be very proud of my wife for coping with this illness in the way that she does. Always optimistic, usually with a smile on her face and always with the attitude that there is someone worse off than her somewhere. As she put it `This illness is not going to stop me doing what I want`. We will raise our daughter will the same attitude to life and her illness.

Heidi now has her own email address and can be contacted on [email protected]. She has also created her own web site, aimed at those parents with kids who are constantly bored! Click Here For The Bored Kids Site

There is a dedicated mailing list on Cystic Fibrosis based in the USA. If you have CF or know someone close that has this illness and would like to subscribe to the list, then click below on the link and in the body of your email write SUBSCRIBE CYSTIC-L (your-first-name) (your-last-name)