RALEIGH, N.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Imagine losing nearly all of your siblings to cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that makes it difficult to breathe. There are some treatments, but so far, no cure. There’s one woman who is working to turn her personal tragedy into triumph.
“My mom had nine children, yeah, it was a big family,” said Wanda O’Neal, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Marsico Lung Institute UNC Cystic Fibrosis Center.
O’Neal gets emotional when talking about her eight siblings.
“I knew that my sisters and brothers had cystic fibrosis,” she continued.
In fact, six out of the nine children were diagnosed with the debilitating lung disease.
“My sister Nancy, she was the first to pass away,” O’Neal shared.
One by one, O’Neal watched helplessly as five of her siblings became sick with pneumonia, eventually succumbing to CF.
“They were just so brave,” O’Neal told Ivanhoe.
Searching for a way to turn tragedy into triumph, O’Neal has dedicated her life to CF research at the University of North Carolina.
“We’re making steps,” she said.
Amazingly, O’Neal’s 50-year old brother Mike is living with CF. Her team of researchers is working to identify what’s helped him survive. Researchers are also taking the CFTR protein that’s defective in patients and altering it in the lab so it works better to keep mucus in the lungs hydrated. UNC scientists are collaborating with drug companies on treatments that would make the defective protein work better in patients.
“We’re developing the technology to actually personalize it; to tailor the optimal therapy for that person,” said Richard Boucher, MD, Director Of the UNC Marsico Lung Institute.
O’Neal says she will never stop working to find a cure for CF, with the memory of her siblings pushing her on.
“It makes a difference that people still remember them for the people that they were, not the disease that they had,” O’Neal shared.
A family’s fight, inspiring hope in the battle against cystic fibrosis.
The UNC researchers say the new treatments should be available in three to five years. The hope is to extend the lifespan of patients from their forties well into their seventies. For more information on their cystic fibrosis research please visit https://www.med.unc.edu/marsicolunginstitute/ or https://www.cff.org.
Contributors to this news report include Janna Ross, Field Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer; Cyndy McGrath, Supervising Producer; Hayley Hudson, Assistant Producer; Dave Harrison, Editor.
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