Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Kate Campbell doesn’t let cystic fibrosis slow her down. She participates in school functions, competes in pageants, runs, and on Saturday, she’ll walk.
Contributed photo
THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION’S GREAT STRIDES: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis walk will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17 in Presque Isle. For the second consecutive year, Kate Campbell, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School, will be walking with her friends and classmates. Campbell was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant, but still leads a very active life. Shown at last year’s walk are, front row: Emily Colligan. Back row, from left: Claire Cheney, JoLonna Gough, Angel Casavant, holding her daughter, Meg; Courtney Colligan, Kate Campbell, Barbara Bonville, and Brittany Burlock. Anyone wishing to join Campbell on the walk or to pledge money can contact her at 764-0939.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s GREAT STRIDES: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis Walk will be held May 17 at 9 a.m. in the parking lot behind the Presque Isle Courthouse on Riverside Street in Presque Isle.
“It’s around the bike path and we go up by Pine Street and all the way around Presque Isle,” said Campbell, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School. “I’m not sure how long the walk is, but the time flies.”
To help educate her classmates about cystic fibrosis – and encourage them to join her in the walk – Campbell gave three presentations Monday to her classmates – one for each grade.
“Last year, we were talking about cystic fibrosis in class. I’ve always known about it because I have it, and after finding out about the walk-a-thon on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Web site, we got a team of about 10 people together,” said Campbell. “I was talking with one of my closest friends and said, ‘We can actually make this really big.’
“My teacher, Angel Casavant, thought we should get the word out to my classmates and she asked if I would feel comfortable doing a presentation for the whole school,” she said. “At first I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ but I agreed to do it.”
Tuesday Campbell placed a sign-up sheet in the cafeteria for anyone wishing to join her in Saturday’s walk.
“We’re kind of like being a candle and getting the bugs sucked in,” she said. “It’s a really good cause and we want people to come to the walk. The CF Foundation is trying really hard to find a cure, and that costs a lot of money.
“I have pledge sheets and people can either pledge money, or be a walker and collect pledges,” said Campbell. “We hope to get as many pledges and walkers as possible.”
The 13-year-old said by the time she gets to be a senior at Presque Isle High School, she’d like to have between 200 and 300 students involved in the event.
“I think that would be so fantastic,” she said. “Last year, we were able to raise almost $1,000. This year we’re hoping for $2,000.”
Campbell was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant.
“My Mom knew something wasn’t right,” she said, “but back then, CF wasn’t very popular, so not a lot of doctors knew what the symptoms were.
“I had a really bad cough, and even though I ate and ate and ate, I never gained weight. I almost lost weight,” said Campbell. “The enzymes I’m on right now helped me gain that weight because my digestive system doesn’t digest the food properly and doesn’t take in the nutrients. Even though I take my medicine, it always feel like I’m hungry. I feel like I’m never full.”
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States; 70,000 worldwide. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
Campbell said she still coughs a lot, and has to take three to four enzymes every time she eats.
“I take them at every meal, or every time I snack,” she said. “I probably take about 20 a day, plus vitamins and some other medicine. I also have to take treatments for my cough. I have a little air machine and have to breathe in steamy air. I breathe in and out of a tube.”
Despite having cystic fibrosis, Campbell is able to lead an active life.
“I have to avoid smoke and other hazardous things to my lungs,” she said, “but most people who meet me, don’t know I have it. I play sports and do all the fun things kids my age do. I’ve played sports my whole life, which has helped. I always let my coaches know I have CF, and there are some days where I can’t run as much. I play hockey, too, which is hard sometimes because the cold weather and cold air makes it hard to breathe and hurts my lungs. I have to take more treatments during hockey season.
“The thing that’s really tough is that I’d like to go to some summer camps, but it’s hard because we don’t always know if someone at the camp will be able to help me if my CF really acts up. I’m a little hesitant,” said Campbell, “but all in all, I’m pretty active.”
Campbell plans to continue being involved in the GREAT STRIDES walk, and encourages others to do the same.
“Even if people don’t come to the walk or don’t pledge,” she said, “I want people to be educated because it’s good knowledge. My little cousin was just diagnosed at age 2, and I hope by the time he’s my age, they will have found a cure.”
GREAT STRIDES: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest national fund-raising event. In 2007, more than $34 million was raised to support vital CF programs. For more information about CF, log onto www.cff.org. Anyone wishing to pledge can contact Campbell at 764-0939.
