When Lauren Catron was first diagnosed with a severe form cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that makes mucous and sweat glands go haywire, her doctors were unsure that she'd live to be a teenager. That was nearly 23 years ago. Now, 26-year-old Catron is a full-time college student at Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif. with enough energy to work a job in her spare time.
Catron credits her sustained health to the more than two decades of care she's received at the Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Catron shares her story on the Happier, Healthier Lives Blog:
“When I was first diagnosed in 1992, the doctors told my parents that I may not make it to my teens,” said Catron, who has the genotype associated with a shorter lifespan and the most severe symptoms of cystic fibrosis, including a constant buildup of mucus in her lungs that interferes with breathing. “But a whole team of people at Stanford has dedicated themselves to keeping me healthy. They have given me absolute unconditional support, amazing treatment and care, and have become my second family.”
Carol Conrad, MD, director of the pediatric pulmonary function lab, explains that the center's expert care stems from the many clinical trials and studies they do to advance the treatment of cystic fibrosis. "No other CF center in California is doing these kinds of clinical trials,” Conrad said.
This research, which ranges from dietary-supplement studies by Conrad to gene therapy work done by Richard Moss, MD, shows promise. Moss and his colleagues were the first to discover that gene therapy could improve pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis patients - an important finding that may lead to a treatment for the disease in the future. "As depressing as the disease can be, there’s a lot of hope. That’s what keeps us motivated,” said Conrad.
Previously: New Stanford-developed sweat test may aid in development of cystic fibrosis treatments, Film about twin sisters' double lung transplants and battle against cystic fibrosis available online, Diverse microbes discovered in healthy lungs shed new light on cystic fibrosis and Living – and thriving – with cystic fibrosis
Photo of Conrad (left) and Catron courtesy of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
