Tabitha is 15 and has cystic fibrosis. In this segment Tabitha shows us how she puts together her acapella treatment at home. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with CF, which affects both males and females. It’s not contagious, so you can’t catch CF from another person. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease caused by mutations (changes) in a gene on chromosome 7, one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes that children inherit from their parents. Cystic fibrosis occurs because of mutations in the gene that makes a protein called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator). A person with CF produces abnormal CFTR protein — or no CFTR protein at all, which causes the body to make thick, sticky mucus instead of the thin, watery kind.
The Coping Cart at Norton Children’s Hospital is designed to help ease children’s stress and anxiety.
