Mutations & Conversations - a Column by Tré LaRosa

Climate change is an emergency facing humanity. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases, solar heat levels build up in the atmosphere, which acts as an incubator, causing our planet to get hotter. Some populations will be more severely affected by climate change than others…

Doctors receive training in particular specialties and, in some cases, subspecialties. But “specialties” and “subspecialties” can be described as a “broad array of diseases” and “broad array of fewer diseases.” I’m not trying to dismiss the expertise of medical professionals or reduce them to their skill sets. I’d never…

The cystic fibrosis community has access to three cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators right now: Kalydeco (ivacaftor), Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor), and Symdeko (tezacaftor/ivacaftor). These CFTR modulators are each approved for specific mutations and age groups. If you’ve been following the progress in this area, you’ll be…

The life of a person with CF is constantly affected by language. A common debate in the community is how best to label us. Is it better to call someone a CFer or a person/adult/child with CF? To some, CFer means their life is singled down to one identifying characteristic,…

I’ve always been able to eat whatever I wanted. That’s just a part of growing up with CF. Kids are picky eaters to begin with, but when you combine the inability to gain weight with pickiness, it results in headaches and frustration. So, when I was a kid, our doctors…

In my senior year of high school, I went to the exercise section of Dick’s Sporting Goods and searched for boxing gloves. I had decided on a whim that I wanted to learn how to box. At the time, I was mostly weight lifting, and the majority of my…

Since I work in a cystic fibrosis (CF) lab and prioritize being open about my experiences with the disease, I’ve had some pretty heavy philosophical conversations with scientific peers. One of those conversations has been about my perspective on the concept of passing on the CF gene. CF is a…

Growing up, I was insulated from the wider cystic fibrosis (CF) community. Since I had a sibling with CF, I didn’t feel the need to meet other kids with CF. My sister Alyssa and I had an amazing bond in which CF was a part of our lives. It allowed…

Most clinical manifestations of cystic fibrosis (CF) are in the lungs, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and sometimes the sinuses, kidneys, and liver. Unsurprisingly, these concerns attract most of the attention. And CF’s main clinical manifestations should warrant most of the focus. But it’s crucial that we don’t forget the “less serious”…

Have you ever been caught up in a heated discussion with someone who continually refers to stories that confirm their beliefs? Or had a conversation in which it seemed as if the other person had read only the research that confirmed their side and had no reasonable counterarguments to your…