Peter and the Mucus Monster!

As I've mentioned before, my sweet nephew Peter battles Cystic Fibrosis (CF) every day. With CF, Peter's body makes extra thick mucus, clogging up his lungs, sinuses, and his digestive tract. People with CF have a hard time breathing and digesting food. The extra thick mucus also collects bacteria and germs, same as normal mucus does, except because it is so thick it's hard to get rid of. This allows the germs in the mucus to stick around long enough to get Peter sick and stay sick for a long time. Because of this, Peter doesn't get to hang around a lot of kids.

Last  summer we met up with Peter and my sister in Colorado for a family reunion. Before we went I was extra villigent with making sure the kids washed their hands and didn't pick their noses. I also made sure that we didn't hang around anyone that was sick so that we would all be super healthy when we got there.

We had so much fun with him! The kids are excited to see him this summer when we go to Portland for my brother's wedding. But before we do that, we are walking for Great Strides, a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I would really appreciate if you would sponsor me on this walk. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has done a lot in the last 20 years to improve and lengthen the lives of those living with CF. My hope is that they will find a cure in Peter's lifetime so he has the chance to grow up and have a family of his own.

Join Peter's Pavement Pounders for Great Strides 2010 from Marchet Butler on Vimeo.

To donate, please click on the Great Strides button on the top of my blog. For more information about Peter, please visit his blog here.