The past nine months have been full of changes for Albert Lea couple Scot and Mindy Christenson.

Last July, just a week after their son, Saxon, was born, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Mindy said neither she nor Scot knew they were carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene. Though there had been no history of it in either of their families, sure enough, the diagnosis came back in the results of Saxon’s newborn screening.

“It was really hard to deal with because we said, ‘Why us?’” Mindy said. She thought she had done everything she was supposed to during her pregnancy.

Cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects the exocrine glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines, often leads to multi-system failure. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, only 30,000 people in the United States and 70,000 people worldwide have the disease.

People who have it produce an unusually thick, sticky mucus that can clog lungs and obstruct the pancreas and other natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. They have to take several different medications daily to help with the conditions.

Mindy said after Saxon was diagnosed, their family doctor referred him to a team of specialists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, including a genetic counselor, a pulmonologist, a cystic fibrosis specialist nurse and a dietitian.

The family was in Rochester almost every week for the first two months, seeing doctors and trying to get Saxon’s medicine regulated. They’re doing everything they can to help him to live as normal a life as possible, she said.

However, the hardest part of being the mother of a child with cystic fibrosis, she said, is being told that her child is expected to have a shorter life expectancy and have an almost certainty of getting lung disease.

For this reason, among others, Mindy said, she will be participating in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest and most successful fundraising event called Great Strides. She, her husband, her daughter, Raine, her best friend, her sisters, and Saxon’s child-care teacher are forming a team to participate in the Rochester-Silver Lake Great Strides walk, which is on May 2. Other walks are held across the country throughout the year.

Money raised goes to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to aid in genetic testing and other research about the disease.

One in 30 people is a carrier for cystic fibrosis.

There’s a one in 400 chance that two carriers will marry and have children.

There’s a one in four chance that two carriers will have a child with cystic fibrosis.

Mindy said so far the family has sent out a letter asking friends and family for donations, has sold chocolate roses and has had a chili cookoff, bake sale and raffle. They will probably sell chocolate roses again closer to Mother’s Day.

Anyone who would still like to donate can do so through the family’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Web site at www.cff.org/great_strides/melindachristenson. People can also send checks made payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to 1211 Frank Ave., Albert Lea MN 56007.

If there’s anyone who wants to help with the walk but who is not able to complete the walk itself, there are other volunteer opportunities available, too, she said.

The easiest thing people can do to help is to volunteer to be an organ donor, she said.

For more information, people can call Mindy at 402-4868.