Cystic fibrosis no longer just a childhood disease as Perth advocate Carolyn Boyd approaches 60

When Carolyn Boyd was born with cystic fibrosis in 1967, her parents were told she would not survive past her 10th birthday. Now, as she approaches her 60th, new data shows that more Australians with the genetic disorder are adults than children. The understanding of cystic fibrosis in the 1960s was extremely limited; Ms Boyd was not diagnosed until her fourth birthday despite numerous bouts of pneumonia. She spent her childhood having daily physiotherapy, breathing through a nebuliser and unable to walk and run around with other children. She never planned for a future because she was always told she would never make it to adulthood. Cystic fibrosis is the most common life-shortening genetic condition affecting Australians. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and other organs, making it harder to breathe. A lung transplant became Ms Boyd’s only hope of survival.