Fighting a Life Threatening Disorder

Toby Pitsenbarger is living with a disorder called Cystic Fibrosis. This disorder is inherited from parents and can be fatal. He treats the disorder to live. Bobcat Beat gave Pitsenbarger sentences and asked him to finish them.

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease: “That affects the respiratory system and the digestive system. It makes the mucus in my lungs more syrupy and makes it harder to clear. Also it makes it hard to digest food so I have to take enzymes without them it could cause complete digestive failure.”

I was first diagnosed: “When I was three months developed. My DNA was tested and the seventh chromosome decides whether or not you will get the disease or not.  Cystic Fibrosis is heredity and is the recessive gene so for you to get it both your parents have to give it to you.”

When I was younger: “My parents had to do a lot of things for me but my parents said that it was easier to take care of me then because I have to do it now which means they have to trust me more now to take care of myself.”

I treat it by: “Doing a lot of different inhaled antibiotics for my lungs and a bunch of IV’s also take a lot of vitamins and minerals because I can’t digest things.”

The average life expectancy: “Of someone with Cystic Fibrosis is thirty five years and so it would be awesome to live past that. I have four siblings and two of them had it and both of them passed away. I’m the youngest and my oldest sister had it and she died when she was five months old she spent her entire life in the hospital and that was twenty seven years ago. My brother the middle child died when he was fifteen and that was about ten years ago. I have lived the longest with cystic fibrosis in my family.”

Cystic Fibrosis is not curable: “I can only weaken it.”