Luca's Light

Luca's story

Luca entered this world with quite a bang, bringing all sorts of fun and surprises.  Probably the biggest surprise he brought with him was our introduction to cystic fibrosis (CF). 

Luca was born at just 6 1/2 months along in the pregnancy, 10 weeks early, due to meconium ileus (a complication often occurring from CF where the intestines has a blockage).  Needing surgery just two days after he was born, Luca's long 5 month NICU stay at the Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis was just beginning.  

Luca would end up needing 3 different surgeries, multiple operations needing anesthesia, a number of PICC lines placed, days of slowly working up on his feeds, and of course the g-tube placement.

This NICU stay was our first look into what life with CF would look like.  Multiple chest treatments per day, nebulizers, enzymes, syringes, oxygen levels, protective gear, cultures, etc...this was our new norm.

With the help of the amazing medical team at the NICU, the amazing surgery team, and of course the amazing CF care team; Luca was able to graduate from the NICU and head home!

Coming home from the NICU didn't mean his CF treatment stops.  CF is a lifelong disease.  He still needs two chest treatments per day, two nebulizer sessions per day, and takes about 30 pills per day.  It doesn't have to be this way if we can find a cure.

There have been great advancements towards finding a cure for CF since the disease was first identified, giving real promise to people with CF to live as close to a normal life as possible.  Many of these advancements have been directly funded from donations to this organization, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  With your donation, you can be a part of finding a cure for the thousands of people who live with CF today.

Get more information on what cystic fibrosis is here:
https://www.cff.org/intro-cf/about-cystic-fibrosis