HOW YOU CAN DONATE

£5,000, but much more needed to help pay for care.

Child health expert Dr Keith Brownlee is father to double gold Olympic medal triathlete Alistair Brownlee, 31, and his Olympic silver medal winning brother Jonny, 29.

Keith, a paediatrician for 30 years and adviser to the CF Trust, told us: “The average person with CF takes about 40 pills every day.

“They must stick to a gruelling regime of daily physiotherapy as well as a strict high-calorie diet.

“Despite this, people with CF all too often acquire serious infections which require antibiotics and lengthy stays in hospital.”

CF causes mucus to build up and “choke” sufferers, and even the mildest bug can leave them fighting for life in hospital.

This week in our CF Trust Christmas Crusade we are highlighting the current treatments available to those across the UK in hospital CF Units, when hit by nasty germs.

Professor Jane Davies, a leading UK CF expert, of Imperial College London’s National Heart is and Lung Institute, said that in the longer term, any lung function lost during illness may not be regained, ever.

She said: “One especially feared virus is the flu. As with any chronic disease, the flu can be really serious and can even put patients in intensive care.”

Just £15 could fund the Helpline team to provide practical support and a listening ear, like helping a parent whose child has been diagnosed with CF.

While £150 could support people with CF and their families during an unexpected hospital admission at Christmas.

David Ramsden, of the CF Trust, said: “We rely on generous donations and are very grateful for the continued support.”

PLEASE help make a difference by texting EXPRESS 5 or EXPRESS 10 to 70500 to donate £5 or £10. Make cheques payable to Cystic Fibrosis Trust and send to: Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Daily Express CF Appeal, One Aldgate, London, EC3N 1RE. Or you can donate at the CF Trust website: www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/Express