Jasmine's Place Issue No. 5 - May/June 2013 | Page 29

When our son Brandon Ray Scott was born, the umbilical cord broke and he weighed less than six pounds. Our pediatrician called us first after the newborn screening tests: they suspected Brandon had a metabolic disorder, so they ordered a second test. It revealed Cystic Fibrosis. I don’t remember the specifics of what he said at that moment: it was all a blur. I believe he said the words pancreas, breakdown, mucus, and lungs. I was in shock. I had heard of Cystic Fibrosis before, and the doctor had casually said, “CF.” But I had no idea what organs it affected or what type of debilitation it caused. Once the diagnosis was confirmed, my husband, Eric, and I, cried for hours, and then for days. The CF Foundation, www.CFF.org, had all the facts. Brandon exhibited some signs: his stool was oily and he had an insatiable appetite but did not gain weight. We learned the precise mutated gene – Delta 508. Two carriers of this particular gene will have a 1 in 4 chance of producing a child with CF. Then we discovered that 1 in 3300 people carry this gene. Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease occurring in about 1 in 30,000 births. The gravity of what the end result could be shook us to the core. We had an incredible team of doctors who gave us a warm welcome and introduction to Cystic Fibrosis at the Children’s JASMINE'S PLACE 29 29