Team CF racer wins award, stars in film about fighting cystic fibrosis
Originally posted on February 19, 2013 at 15:53 pm
By Adam Newman. Photo above by A.E. Landes, photo at right courtesy of Team CF.
Team CF racer Kaitlyn Broadhurst has been selected as the recipient of the Shining Star award from the Delaware Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Broadhurst, who has cystic fibrosis herself, is also the star of a documentary, Catching Air, that details her experience tackling one of the most difficult mountain bike stage races in the world, the Trans-Sylvania Epic.
The Shining Star award, now in its third year, honors an individual with cystic fibrosis who strives to live life to the fullest and to overcome the many obstacles cystic fibrosis presents.
Team CF has dominated endurance mountain bike racing in both men’s and women’s divisions in recent years. This year, in a move to grow the team at the grassroots level, has established a formal partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is inviting the public to join the Club Team.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in the Unites States affecting about 30,000 children and adults. The genetic defect renders certain organs of the body susceptible to obstruction due to thick mucus secretions. The most severe manifestation is in the lung where thick secretions lead to chronic lung infections which require a daily regimen of drug treatments and chest physical therapy to help clear airway secretions. Advances in the clinical management of CF have improved the prognosis, although current life expectancy is 37.4 years of age. There is no cure for CF, however, lung transplantation is the only life saving treatment in those with end stage lung disease.