Post by Chuck on Oct 30, 2010 10:55:15 GMT -5
Cystic fibrosis patient has made heroic battle against disease
By CHERIE BLACK
When Chris Fowler was 12 years old, a fast-food restaurant in Orange Park Mall held a contest to win a go-cart.
Determined not to let it slip away to someone else, Fowler filled out 5,500 entry forms in two weeks, won his go-cart and raced it every day until it was so run down it couldn't go anymore.
That determination is what has helped Fowler, now 28 and living in Middleburg, successfully live with cystic fibrosis longer and healthier than his doctors have predicted.
Chris Fowler has been named the first national Heroes of Hope Living with CF award winner and will be honored today at the University of Florida. BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
He also has inspired others with his active lifestyle and positive attitude and has been named the first national Heroes of Hope Living with CF award winner. The award, a certificate and small gift which recognizes the contributions of inspirational people affected by the disease, will be presented to Fowler today at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Fowler was one of 12 nominees selected by a panel of healthcare professionals, advocates and cystic fibrosis patients.
"I was speechless when they told me I was chosen for the award," Fowler said. "You go through life and then somebody sees you as a hero, it's heartwarming."
When Fowler was six months old he was diagnosed with the genetic disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The disease is the result of a defective gene that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick and sticky mucus. The mucus clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, making breathing and food absorption difficult.
Although he suffered spasms at night and was constantly getting colds as a child, Fowler said he "felt like all the other kids" while growing up. Although smaller than kids his age, he played basketball, football and soccer and said it was sports that helped keep him healthy.
After finishing high school a year early, he graduated from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and now works as a network engineer in Jacksonville.
Chris Fowler (43) is pursued by Donny Fraser while getting some "seat time" at the 103rd Street go-cart track Saturday. BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
He takes two to three medications multiple times a day and wears a special vibrating vest for 30 minutes twice a day to help loosen the potentially fatal mucus build-up in his lungs.
It was his early love for go-carts and racing, however, that still makes Fowler's eyes light up when he talks about it.
After college he spent nearly $7,000 on a go-cart and has won championships in and around Jacksonville. His passion for racing is so great, he sold his St. Augustine condominium and his Corvette and moved back in with his mother so he could afford it.
"It's a challenge every day, but it's how you handle that challenge that has made me a better person. I try to live life to the fullest and take nothing for granted," said Fowler, a thin, pale man with bright eyes peeking through his wire-rimmed glasses. The only hint of his condition is the constant clearing of mucus from his throat.
He's now racing stock cars but still drives go-carts for fun on the weekends. He hopes to get celebrity sponsorships to raise awareness of the disease and has pledged to give 10 percent of his racing proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"Chris is 100 percent racing," said Chuck McCue, owner of Arsenal Pro Racing in Jacksonville where Fowler has raced for the past five years. "At first, I thought his endurance would be a little low because of the cystic fibrosis, but on the track he's a fierce competitor and he's good."
McCue said he's never known anyone with the disease to survive into adulthood like Fowler has.
"He fights it quite a bit and has a chronic cough," he said. "When he's on that track, though, he's like a football player going on the field with a bum knee -- he's able to overcome it and move on."
Fowler's active lifestyle and commitment to raising awareness and money for a cure made him the perfect choice for the Heroes of Hope award, said Kathleen Rinehart, the program's public relations manager. The award was created by a San Francisco drug company to recognize people who serve as role models and portray hope to others with cystic fibrosis.
"The program recognizes the spirit of cystic fibrosis through those who have risen above it," Rinehart said. "Hopefully by highlighting Chris it will inspire other patients to rise above their illness as well." Fowler's mother, Charlotte, said her son has always been a role model and a "go-getter." She said she has always been overprotective of the youngest of her three children, especially when he races cars.
"My goal is for him to achieve his goals," she said. "I'm his biggest supporter and I definitely believe he can do anything."
Chris Fowler said doctors' estimates that adult cystic fibrosis patients only live into their mid-30s have no meaning to him.
"When I was diagnosed, they said five to six years, then they said I wouldn't live to see my 18th birthday," he said. "I know as long as I stay in shape those numbers will increase for everybody."
He said others with the disease should follow their heart, stay positive and take their medicine.
"I'm hoping to show people we can do anything we want to do," he said. "They're going to find a cure. It's coming."
By CHERIE BLACK
When Chris Fowler was 12 years old, a fast-food restaurant in Orange Park Mall held a contest to win a go-cart.
Determined not to let it slip away to someone else, Fowler filled out 5,500 entry forms in two weeks, won his go-cart and raced it every day until it was so run down it couldn't go anymore.
That determination is what has helped Fowler, now 28 and living in Middleburg, successfully live with cystic fibrosis longer and healthier than his doctors have predicted.
Chris Fowler has been named the first national Heroes of Hope Living with CF award winner and will be honored today at the University of Florida. BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
He also has inspired others with his active lifestyle and positive attitude and has been named the first national Heroes of Hope Living with CF award winner. The award, a certificate and small gift which recognizes the contributions of inspirational people affected by the disease, will be presented to Fowler today at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Fowler was one of 12 nominees selected by a panel of healthcare professionals, advocates and cystic fibrosis patients.
"I was speechless when they told me I was chosen for the award," Fowler said. "You go through life and then somebody sees you as a hero, it's heartwarming."
When Fowler was six months old he was diagnosed with the genetic disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The disease is the result of a defective gene that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick and sticky mucus. The mucus clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, making breathing and food absorption difficult.
Although he suffered spasms at night and was constantly getting colds as a child, Fowler said he "felt like all the other kids" while growing up. Although smaller than kids his age, he played basketball, football and soccer and said it was sports that helped keep him healthy.
After finishing high school a year early, he graduated from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and now works as a network engineer in Jacksonville.
Chris Fowler (43) is pursued by Donny Fraser while getting some "seat time" at the 103rd Street go-cart track Saturday. BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union
He takes two to three medications multiple times a day and wears a special vibrating vest for 30 minutes twice a day to help loosen the potentially fatal mucus build-up in his lungs.
It was his early love for go-carts and racing, however, that still makes Fowler's eyes light up when he talks about it.
After college he spent nearly $7,000 on a go-cart and has won championships in and around Jacksonville. His passion for racing is so great, he sold his St. Augustine condominium and his Corvette and moved back in with his mother so he could afford it.
"It's a challenge every day, but it's how you handle that challenge that has made me a better person. I try to live life to the fullest and take nothing for granted," said Fowler, a thin, pale man with bright eyes peeking through his wire-rimmed glasses. The only hint of his condition is the constant clearing of mucus from his throat.
He's now racing stock cars but still drives go-carts for fun on the weekends. He hopes to get celebrity sponsorships to raise awareness of the disease and has pledged to give 10 percent of his racing proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"Chris is 100 percent racing," said Chuck McCue, owner of Arsenal Pro Racing in Jacksonville where Fowler has raced for the past five years. "At first, I thought his endurance would be a little low because of the cystic fibrosis, but on the track he's a fierce competitor and he's good."
McCue said he's never known anyone with the disease to survive into adulthood like Fowler has.
"He fights it quite a bit and has a chronic cough," he said. "When he's on that track, though, he's like a football player going on the field with a bum knee -- he's able to overcome it and move on."
Fowler's active lifestyle and commitment to raising awareness and money for a cure made him the perfect choice for the Heroes of Hope award, said Kathleen Rinehart, the program's public relations manager. The award was created by a San Francisco drug company to recognize people who serve as role models and portray hope to others with cystic fibrosis.
"The program recognizes the spirit of cystic fibrosis through those who have risen above it," Rinehart said. "Hopefully by highlighting Chris it will inspire other patients to rise above their illness as well." Fowler's mother, Charlotte, said her son has always been a role model and a "go-getter." She said she has always been overprotective of the youngest of her three children, especially when he races cars.
"My goal is for him to achieve his goals," she said. "I'm his biggest supporter and I definitely believe he can do anything."
Chris Fowler said doctors' estimates that adult cystic fibrosis patients only live into their mid-30s have no meaning to him.
"When I was diagnosed, they said five to six years, then they said I wouldn't live to see my 18th birthday," he said. "I know as long as I stay in shape those numbers will increase for everybody."
He said others with the disease should follow their heart, stay positive and take their medicine.
"I'm hoping to show people we can do anything we want to do," he said. "They're going to find a cure. It's coming."