Greetings from Ohio, the Hurricane State! Most of you know about our journey with Ike in September. Life is back to normal with electricity restored, four days without school, and branches and trees cleaned up. We are now ready to begin a normal fall activity - The Bowl for Breath. For the past 30 years our family has raised money for research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and to help those with this disease to live healthier lives. This year's bowling event will take place on Sunday, November 2.

Here's a short quiz on C.F. (answers are at the end of this letter - Don't Peek!):

1. Your chance of being a CF carrier is: a) zero, b) 1 in 28, c) 1 in 370, d) 1 in 73.
   
2. In the last 20 years, your risk of catching CF has: a) stayed the same, b) increased,
   c) decreased.
   
3. CF is caused by: a) a bacteria similar to E. Coli Cystitis, b) the cystic fibrosis virus,
   c) a mutation in a single gene on chromosome 7.
   
4. The average life expectancy of an individual with CF in the mid-70's was about 8-10 years. Since then the average life expectancy has risen to the: a) late-30's, b) mid-40's, c) late 50's.
   
5. The number of people with CF is about: a) 30,000 in the US, b) 70, 000 worldwide,
   c) 70,000 in the US, d) 100,000 in the US.

Brent and Derik Pace were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in December, 1978. Derik was diagnosed first at age 6 months and Brent a week later at age 3 ½. Many things have changed over the past 30 years and all for the better! Here is an update on the Pace Boys (who really aren't boys anymore!)

BRENT: Brent is still living in Charleston, South Carolina and enjoying the beach, seafood, music, and soccer all year long. He is now on the board of the Charleston C.F. Foundation and is involved in his first fundraising event - a fishing tournament. He continues to work as an environmental engineer for B.P. Chemical. His health has been good this past year. However, he was in a car accident that totaled his car and dislocated his shoulder. He made sure his replacement car was equipped to use his air vest on his journey to and from work.

DERIK: Cooking still consumes much of Derik's time. His day job for Aramark, weekend job at Sonic, and home baking business keep him busy. For the third year, Pacetrees will have a bake sale at the Bowl for Breath. 100% of the money received goes to C.F. Derik continues to struggle with his weight and tiredness, but overall he has had a good year, with no hospitalizations. Derik's wife, Misty, continues to be a great support to him.

We have a new cheerleader in town this year. Linda's mom, Katie Whitehouse, has moved to Columbus (December, 2007). For many years she has raised money with her letter writing campaign and at 85 she is continuing that. Katie will be present at the bowling event this year.

A Little Bit of Research News:

Hypertonic Saline: In our 2006 letter, I mentioned how surfers in Australia felt better after exposure to ocean salt water spray. Well, a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics (CFFT)-funded, Phase 3 trial in Australia confirmed that "hypertonic saline" (usually a 3% or 5% solution of sodium chloride) had beneficial effects on pulmonary health in CF patients. Follow-on studies are determining if younger patients would benefit from this inhaled therapy.

Trizytek: Enzyme supplements are often a part of the regimen for CF patients. These enzyme supplements are produced from pig pancreas. Trizytek is a microbially produced, pancreatic enzyme replacement developed by Altus Pharmaceuticals. This non-porcine (no pigs) pancreatic enzyme replacement is designed to be a one capsule per meal enzyme replacement. This product could be a definite improvement for Derik who currently takes 8-10 enzyme capsules of the kind made from pig pancreas at every meal.

We invite you to join us in our money raising efforts. Please send your donations to us by November 9th. Checks can be made to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Together we can make a differences in many lives and conquer this disease.

Thanks for your support,

Jim and Linda Pace (and the rest of the Pace family: Derik, Misty, and Brent)

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 reread 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

Answers to quiz

1. b) 1 in 28,
2. a) stayed the same (you can't "catch" CF. It is a genetic disease passed on from parents who are both carriers.)
3. c) a mutation in a single gene on chromosome 7.
4. a) late-30's. But, we have a Columbus-area friend with CF who is in her late 50's!
5. Both a) 30,000 in the US and b) 70, 000 worldwide are correct.