Despite CF I live a full life

DAVID Spillane has never let his cystic fibrosis (CF) affect his life. “Even as a teenager, I was running with my local team and playing football with my local club,” says David, 23, an artist living in Tralee, Co Kerry.

“My sister, Aishling, has CF as well, but we’re both fairly lucky because we have lighter strains of it.”

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI), CF is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. CF mainly affects the lungs and the digestive system. It causes a thick, sticky mucus to be produced, blocking the bronchial tubes and making patients prone to repeated infections, which can result in hospitalisation. Ireland has the highest prevalence of CF in the world.