Hello, lovely readers! I asked my sweet friend Brook to share a little about her son with you today. And here’s what she had to say —

I can hardly describe Gabriel to you. He’s too close to me: My very heart.

I can tell you that close friends say he’s a spitfire and too smart for my good. I can also say he’s persistent, perceptive, funny and full of energy. He has his mama’s eyes and his papa’s smile.

He also has Cystic Fibrosis — a genetic, life-shortening, chronic illness.

We put a lot of work into keeping Gabe as healthy as possible. He eats six high-fat, high-calorie meals a day accompanied by pancreatic enzyme replacements because his body doesn’t absorb fats and other nutrients properly. He does chest clearance twice a day to keep the mucous in his lungs from settling in and creating inflammation and scar tissue. He uses a nebulizer and inhaler to thin that mucous and dilate his airways. And when he gets a cough, we ramp into overdrive to keep everything moving.

So far, so good. He’s almost exactly two-and-a-half years old.

I know that over time the symptoms will take a toll. It’s pretty likely he’ll develop CF-related diabetes. He’ll always have to focus to keep his weight up. Eventually, his lungs will have borne the burden of too many coughs, too much inflammation, too much scar tissue, and they won’t be able to support him. Whether this happens when he’s 20 or 50 is anyone’s guess. The median life expectancy for someone with Cystic Fibrosis right now is in the late-30s.

Which is amazing, really. Thirty years ago, CF kids didn’t make it through elementary school. Newborn screening leads to early diagnosis and early intervention. Modern therapies have made it possible to keep patients healthier longer. And there is amazing research being done right now to treat the disease at a cellular level, helping the CFTR protein function as it should, which keeps that mucous from getting all sticky and problematic in the first place. I’m hopeful.

And I worry. He’s my baby; how could I not? I pray (and pray) for more tomorrows. But I know he’s not mine to hold onto, not really. So in the between-times, I cherish him. He really is amazing.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation uses donations effectively and efficiently to support promising research on a number of fronts. Please consider donating. Please consider Gabriel.

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month, and Brook would like to see at least 30 people to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of Gabe. This family is so dear to my heart. I wish you could all meet them; I know you’d love them, too. If you have a few (or several) dollars to spare this month, I hope you’ll send it to CFF.

– Nichole