Dear Friends and Family,

Fall is here and with it comes the 30th annual Bowl for Breath event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Pace family has been involved with this fundraiser for 29 years. On Sunday, November 4 we will show off our strikes and gutter balls at The Palace Bowling Lanes in Columbus. Over the years you have helped us raise over $75,000 and we won't stop until a cure is found.

CF 101: Cystic Fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, and frequently fatal genetic disease of the mucus glands. The thick mucus builds up and affects the respiratory and digestive systems. About 2500 babies are born with CF each year in the US and about 1 in every 28 Americans carries an abnormal CF gene with no ill effects. Most of these people are unaware that they are carriers.

The CFF (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) was established in 1955 by a group of parents looking for a way to cure and control CF. At that time, most children with CF died before reaching elementary school age. Today, as a result of dramatic improvement in research and care, the median age of survival is nearly 38 years old and 43% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older. The CFF has three main goals: to treat, control, and cure cystic fibrosis.

FAMILY UPDATE: Brent (age 32) has been living in Charleston, South Carolina for four years. His southern home has become a vacation destination for family and friends. He takes pride in keeping in shape, which also helps him keep a healthy body with his cystic fibrosis. He runs, bikes, and is very active playing soccer. Since his diagnosis at preschool age, he has found that CF can't stop him from achieving his goals and dreams. As an environmental engineer for B.P. Chemical, he enjoys his day job and loves his night job performing in a band. Brent and Lynnette live life to the fullest and CF is a part of it.

Derik's (age 29) life continues to revolve around cooking. It's fall so we love his culinary apple treats. His year has been one where maintaining his weight has been difficult. He is also struggling with some back pain which is not related to his CF (he is in the testing stage.). Derik (with wife Misty's support) continues with a positive attitude and outlook for the future. He has always known aerosols, chest therapy, and clinic appointments since his infant diagnosis. Derik continues work in the cafeteria at Chase Bank and manages life each day with CF.

Our bowling efforts this year are dedicated to a newly diagnosed adult, Coe Edgerton. At age 58 she has had continued pulmonary problems for many years but no diagnosis. She joins the CF family and is surrounded by loving family and friends support as well as the CF clinic staff at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

We fund raise for CF, not only for our boys but for:

• All the newly diagnosed families that are struggling to make sense of things
• Those who cope with repeated hospital stays
• All the parents who make sure that medicine is picked up and treatments completed
• CF Kids who just want to live life like everyone else
• The teenagers who want to know "Why me?"
• The adults with CF that cope with insurance, jobs, and family responsibilities
• The loving hands at the CF Centers that care for the patients
• Those who have lost a family member or friend to this disease

New and some not so new (but worth noting) Research:

• MIGHTY MOUSE PEACE PRIZE! Well, not exactly, but 3 scientists WERE awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine for their research in creating mouse models of disease. The first model was (of course) a mouse containing the mouse CF gene. This "model" helped scientists to understand how CF affects the various organs. The "mouse model" has benefited not only CF, but has since been used for many other disease systems, revolutionizing the study of disease processes and drug development.
• Here's a TIP: TIP stands for TOBI Inhaled Powder. TOBI stands for TOBramycin solution for Inhalation. Got that straight? Anyway, TIP is a new way to administer the antibiotic, tobramycin, much faster than the liquid, TOBI. Clinical trials for TIP began in 2006. Both Brent and Derik participated in the trial (Derik with the control, Brent with the actual drug), not knowing the other was in the trial, too.
• Ever hear of Simvastatin? No? Maybe you know it as the generic form of Zocor, a cholesterol reducing drug. It also increases the production of Nitric Oxide (NO) in the airways. Turns out, NO in the airways helps control bacteria growth and inflammation in the lungs. Here's the clincher: CF patients have REDUCED NO in their airways. A clinical trial is in progress to see if Simvastatin can help control bacterial infection and inflammation in CF patients!
• VX-770 sounds like it ought to be a B-SciFi movie about a toxic nerve agent or a secret space plane. In reality, it is a new compound that may act upon the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) protein and help to open the chloride channel in CF cells. The malfunctioning chloride channel is the genetic defect that causes CF. Phase I clinical trials (testing on less than 100 people) have been completed in patients. Researchers are evaluating results and Phase 2 (testing on a larger group of people) has begun.
• DHA - If you are pregnant or are a mom, you've probably heard of this term. It is a fatty acid, thought to be important to the development of infants, particularly as regards their eyes and brain. DHA is present in breast milk and has been added to some infant formulas. People with CF appear to have lower than normal levels of DHA, which may also be important to protecting the body against inflammation. A lack of DHA in people with CF may contribute to increased inflammation in the lungs. A Pilot study to examine effect of infant formula fortified with DHA on pathogenesis of CF in 120 newly diagnosed patients at 16 centers began in 2003.

The Pace family will bowl on November 4, 2007. Your tax-deductible contribution sent to us (payable to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) will have a tangible impact on conquering this disease!

To all of YOU who have supported the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, WE GIVE OUR THANKS! If this is your first contribution to CF, WELCOME TO OUR TEAM! You are ALL our heroes!

Jim, Linda, Brent, Derik, and Misty Pace

PS: More information about cystic fibrosis research is available at the CF Foundation web site at:

• Http://www.cff.org

  PPS: Would you like to re-read some of our previous year's letters just to see how things have changed (or how our letters keep getting longer? All of our letters back to 1996 (with the exception of 2001 - don't know where it went...) are now available at:

  http://jimpace.eml.cc