IN 1982, WHEN EMILY SCHALLER was 18 months old, doctors told her parents
she wouldn't live to turn 18. They discovered she had cystic fibrosis, a
disorder that prevents vital organs such as the lungs and pancreas from
functioning properly. Doctors predicted that Schaller would struggle to
breathe and to gain weight—that she'd be sickly and weak.
But Schaller was quick to prove them wrong. Back at home, she resumed
chasing her two older brothers around Grosse Ile, Michigan, 18 miles
south of Detroit. By age 5, she was launching her skateboard off a
three-foot ramp. At 9, she became a point guard on a community league
basketball team. At 22, she played drums in an all-girl band, pounding
out sweat-drenched sets every Friday and Saturday in Detroit nightclubs.
And three years ago, at age 25, Schaller found the perfect outlet for
her energy—running. Since then, she's completed four half-marathons,
with a personal best of 2:03.
Those doctors, it seems, only knew the troubling statistics. In the
1980s, the life expectancy of a CF patient was 14. The disease results
in a thick, sticky mucus clogging air passages, preventing the clearance
of bacteria, and causing lung infections. It also prevents the pancreas
from secreting digestive enzymes.
"My parents decided they weren't going to shelter me," Schaller says.
"They could've kept me inside, away from other kids and their germs, but
they didn't. They made me realize that even though I had a serious
disease, it wasn't going to stop me from doing anything."
Much has changed since Schaller, now 28, was diagnosed. New and improved
drug treatments have lengthened the average lifespan to close to 40,
and many doctors now believe that physical exertion, especially running,
can be an important part of CF patients' health regimens. "The
breathing that's involved with running seems to be really effective in
clearing mucus from the lungs," says Tom Sisson, M.D., a pulmonologist
at the University of Michigan Health System who oversees Schaller's
care. "I have little doubt that it's extending Emily's life."
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