As the sun came up on Valentine’s Day 1995, Denise Tims got the best gift of her life: her baby girl, Megan Angelina.
Megan had intense blue eyes, dark hair and chubby cheeks, and she cooed and smiled when Denise breastfed her. She turned up her nose at formula and bottles (they could not compete with mom) and she seemed to constantly want more.
This child was hungry. But no matter how much Megan ate, she weighed just 11 pounds at 6 months old, about 5 pounds less than average. When Denise and her husband, Chris, picked her up, she could see Megan’s ribcage.
Megan’s pediatrician, Dr. Jonell Mahoney, examined the baby and told Denise: “Don’t go home and read about this … but I think she has cystic fibrosis.”
Denise did read about it, and what she read terrified her: Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes sticky mucus to clog the lungs, causing persistent lung infections and making it hard to breathe. CF also blocks the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Approximately 30,000 Americans have it.