Giving Back Breath

As a medical student in the 1970s, physician-scientist Mike Welsh was deeply moved by the plight of a young girl with cystic fibrosis — a genetic condition affecting around 40,000 Americans that slowly destroys the lungs and other vital organs. At the time, cystic fibrosis meant a difficult, short life marked by chronic coughing, daily therapies, and frequent hospitalizations. After learning the girl would likely not live past her teens, he decided to devote his life to studying the disease. 

Dr. Welsh would go on to lead groundbreaking research on the mutated protein that causes cystic fibrosis, paving the way for new drugs that can fix the faulty protein in 90% of cystic fibrosis patients. Grace Lidgett and William O’Neil II are two young adults who can now breathe deeply, run, and plan for their futures thanks to the revolutionary medication. A chance encounter in a bar in Iowa brings Dr. Welsh face-to-face with William, showing him firsthand how his research changed the trajectory of Will’s life. “I have a number of people with CF, they're with me. They're not here on this earth anymore, but they're with me. Williams' here. I got to meet him,” says Welsh. “And that makes me really happy.”