Children walk around Arnold Memorial Elementary School on Monday to help battle cystic fibrosis.CYSTIC FIBROSIS
• Caused by defective genes passed down from both parents.• Causes thick mucus to clog some body organs, often the lungs and pancreas.• Bacteria can get stuck in the mucus, causing swelling and infection.• There is no cure.• About 30,000 U.S. children and adults have it.• Most sufferers must use some type of airway clearance treatment at least once a day and sometimes four times a day in severe cases.• In 2009, the median predicted age of survival was the mid-30s.• Lung transplants do not help because the problem is a gene, not the lung.Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The children at Arnold Memorial Elementary School have made defeating cystic fibrosis one of their goals.
"Some boys and girls have trouble just being able to breathe," said fifth-grader Norance Berry.
So Monday, the students lined up to walk around the school block and deliver their "change for a change," money they'd raised to help find a cure.
Before spring break last week, they had raised about $500 in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Last weekend, some Arnold teachers and students also took part in the annual 65 Roses Run to raise money for a cystic fibrosis cure.
"It makes you feel like you are making a difference for people you don't even know," said Mikayla Horton.
Principal Kellye Bender said a former Arnold student had cystic fibrosis and others in the Cleveland School system also have suffered from the genetic disorder. "So Arnold has made this a special project," Bender said.
Students are so well versed in cystic fibrosis, "they know about the medicines being developed, so they can see the benefits," she said.
To battle the disease, Arnold is a partner with Lee University in the Cleveland-Bradley County Chamber of Commerce's Business and Education Serving Together program. The university makes the annual 65 Roses Run.
"But not all our children can get to Lee on a Saturday," Bender said, so the school had its own event.
Lee announced that its 10-year 65 Roses, a 5k run, has passed the half-million dollar mark in contributions for a cystic fibrosis cure. There were 825 registered runners on Saturday.
Contact staff writer Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfree press.com or 423-314-1029.