Sydney Myers

Daughter of Derek & Kelli Myers, Bluffton, IN.

When was Sydney diagnosed with CF and what were her symptoms?

Sydney was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) just a week after her first birthday when she had a Rectal Prolapse (rectal tissue protruding from the anus). This was a shocking thing to us and we took our baby girl to the doctor right away. Fortunately Sydney’s pediatrician had just recently read a document that discussed the occurrence of rectal prolapses among CF patients. In most cases, people with CF require digestive enzymes to aid in absorption of fat and protein, without enzymes their digestive system becomes a mess, which can cause a prolapse. Although Sydney’s health had been good in her short 12 months, her doctor ordered a “sweat test” for CF because she new the two can go together. When it came back positive a few hours later we were all shocked and devastated, ours lives were forever changed.

What CF-related medications and therapies does Sydney take now?

Sydney takes digestive enzymes with all of her meals and snacks to help her body digest and absorb protein and fat so she can stay healthy and grow well. She eats a very high calorie diet to help keep her weight in a healthy range. She does a 30-minute treatment of Chest Percussion Therapy with her VEST each morning to help keep her lungs clear of mucus that may harbor threatening bacteria and make her sick. She also takes a multivitamin and other nutritional supplements to help prevent inflammation in her body and keep her immune system strong.

How does CF affect the routines of Sydney and your family?

The treatments and medications can be quite daunting for us all because they require so much time and organization. We must always remember to take along her enzymes whenever we leave the house and they need to be kept at room temperature since extreme temperatures can ruin them. This can be tricky in the hot Indiana summers and also in the freezing Indiana winters. Most days, Sydney does not want to do her 30-minutes of VEST Therapy so we are always looking for new ways to make the treatment as fun as possible for her. Sydney has recently become aware of the fact that none of her friends have to take enzymes. She has started asking people if they take enzymes and explaining to them that she has to take them because she has Cystic Fibrosis. This year she started preschool and on her first day, she told her class that she has CF and told them about it. We (her parents) were proud of her for doing that, but it can be somewhat heartbreaking for us to see her deal with the emotions of it all at such a young age.

What are Sydney’s interests and hobbies?

Sydney is a very social and out-going little girl. She is happiest when she is “out and about” (her words). She loves playing at the park, playing with rocks, doing jigsaw puzzles, singing, dancing, and telling jokes. She has always been a cheerful and happy little girl and she loves to make other people laugh. She loves princesses and kitties and all things “girl”.

What will the future bring?

We really don’t know what the future will bring for Sydney. The current median age of survival for people with CF is only approximately 38, which is not nearly long enough for us. We hope and pray that she will live a long and happy life and be able to achieve her dreams of marriage, children and lots of fun times. We would love for her to someday live without hours of daily treatments which is why for now, we will continue to work hard to CURE CF for Sydney and the thousands of others with the disease.