PATTON YOUTH GOES TO `GREAT STRIKES' FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS CURE

When Christin Yamnitz joins the "Great Strides" Walk for cystic fibrosis Sunday, she'll be on a personal mission.

The 16-year-old Patton girl and two of her older brothers all have CF, a life-threatening genetic condition that affects the lungs and digestive systems.

She'll be joining other volunteers to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Registration for the "Great Strides" Walk starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cape County Park North, shelter 6. The walk itself starts at 2 p.m.

Yamnitz was diagnosed with the disease as an infant.

Every two to four months, she undergoes preliminary function tests, which monitor the disease's progress.

CF affects approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the United States, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and about 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.

CF is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States. Median survival age for a person with cystic fibrosis is 31.

People with cystic fibrosis can't process sodium and chloride -- the components of salt -- properly from the interior of cells that line the lungs, pancreas and other organs to the cells' outer surfaces.

The body produces an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to fatal infections.

The mucus also obstructs the pancreas and prevents enzymes from reaching the intestines to digest food.

Persistent coughing, wheezing and pneumonia are common symptoms of CF. Some CF patients are limited in their physical activities because of the disease.

Yamnitz isn't.

"I can do pretty much anything I want to do," she said, adding the disease really hasn't impacted her life much.

Yamnitz is aware of the grim statistics on CF survival rates, but she is optimistic continued research will help improve treatment of the disease and eventually find a cure.

"They've got a lot of new stuff, like the gene therapy," she said. "I'm pretty optimistic about it. I don't stress over it, but the thought does cross your mind once in a while."