February - March 2002 Edition

Courageous Sixth Grader   Sarah Yourman, a 6th grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, is battling several chronic illnesses including Cystic Fibrosis and Diabetes.   The average life expectancy for Cystic Fibrosis patients is 30 years old.  Sarah is always attached to an insulin pump to control her Diabetes and every day she must undergo two hours of respiratory therapy and test her blood sugar six times.     Yet, she also competes during the winter for the Mt. Snow Freestyle Team in Vermont. "I do acrobatic routines (a cartwheel on skis is my best trick), aerials, where I fly off a jump and do a trick, and moguls, my favorite, where I ski the bumps."   A friend of the family, Virginia Goerg said that Sarah has a dream to become an Olympic competitive skier. 'She just might realize that dream if she keeps it up!'   Wayne Wong, former World Freestyle Skiing Champion, described Sarah as 'A wonderful role model and proof that children with Cystic Fibrosis and Diabetes, and other diseases, are still able to enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.  In the week that we spent skiing together in Lake Tahoe, not once did I see or hear her complain about the diseases that affected her. Instead, I saw her love and dedication for the sport'.    To find out more about Sarah, visit her web site at www.sarahyourman.com   Lisa Yourman (Sarah's Mom), In Her Own Words:   Thirty should be a good year. I know it was for me. That's when I became a mother! But the total joy of motherhood was shadowed, when I found out nineteen months later that my beautiful baby girl had cystic fibrosis. Looking down at her adorable smiling face, I couldn't help but think, that she would probably never have the chance to enjoy motherhood herself.  And I cried for all her lost possibilities.    But you cannot live in grief. Life pushes you forward. Life demands your attention. The way to deal with such devastating news is to fight back. If I had stopped every time I had to give my children their aggressive therapy to their delicate bodies or shove yucky tasting medications or rocks as we have referred, to their daily intake of pancreatic enzymes, I would not be able to boast that Sarah can do 50 push-ups in her gym class, 40 better than anyone else or ski the double black diamond trails and do spread eagles on the mogul runs at the ski resorts. I would not be able to give my son, also diagnosed with this devastating illness, a time-out when he throws his tantrums. He's just a normal kid, just like Sarah despite the scar from a feeding tube he had in his belly for over 5 years.    That is why protecting research for new medications is so important, because despite the odds, my children are your average suburban youngsters, and I want them to stay that way. I know that research holds great promise. Each one of us in our own way is waiting impatiently for a cure or more effective treatment for a disease that may affect us, or someone close to us. I would only hope that the cure for cystic fibrosis comes in my children's lifetime.     What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.