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S-year-old Gator stays one step ahead of cystic fibrosis
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Photo by Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Joe says his favorite part about swimming is when he dives in to the water. Joe swam the freestyle in the last leg of his relay team’s race at the swim championships.
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By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports
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The excitement that dances across Joseph Lopez’s face is hard to miss.
While he waits for his leg of the 100 yard relay during Saturday’s Mother Lode Swim Championships, the skinny, tanned swimmer managed to get quickly chat with his coaches before poising himself at the edge of the pool and plunging in.
The active six-year old puts all of his effort into swimming, and it is an afterthought that when he isn’t swimming, he and his family do a little extra work to keep his body in top shape.
Joe was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was five and a half months old and needs more nutrients than usual as well as breathing treatments in order to stay as healthy as possible.
People diagnosed with cystic fibrosis have a defective gene along with a protein product that causes thick, sticky mucus in the lungs that leads to dangerous lung infections and stops natural enzymes from breaking down food, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Web site, www.cff.org.
“It took them about a month and a half to finally figure out what was wrong. He weighed less at four months than he did at birth,” said Joe’s mother, Monica Lopez, who works for Galt Parks and Recreation.
The Lopez family consists of Joe, his sister Hannah, Monica, and dad Jon Lopez.
A small plastic plug on his stomach is the only thing that reveals the extra work that Joe and his family put into maintaining his health.
Otherwise, the condition has not been a factor for Joe while he participates in sports.
In fact, he has risen above it to become undefeated in the boys’ six and under 25 yard freestyle event during the regular swim season.
“I like it when I win,” Joe said when asked what he enjoys about racing against other swimmers during a break from practice.
Joe was the third-highest point scorer Saturday in the boys’ six and under division, and happily wore his medal after receiving it during the medal ceremony.
He finished fourth in the 25-yard freestyle with his finals time of 24.03, which was the only time he did not finish first all year.
Joe won third place in his division in the 25-yard backstroke with his time of 28.69, and won second place in the mixed six and under 100 yard freestyle relay with teammates Elias Hernandez, Jessica McAllister and Helen Carey.
Lopez says that cystic fibrosis does not affect her son while he swims, something he has been doing since he was three.
“He loves it. He loves being active,” Lopez said of Joseph.
Since his body does not absorb nutrients, Joe takes enzyme supplements with his meals to help digest food that will later be absorbed by his body.
Joseph also goes through breathing treatments and eats a high calorie diet.
“Someone like Joe needs more calories than a normal person. We actually had an appointment yesterday (Thursday) and in three months, he’s only gained 1/10th of a pound, but that’s partly because of all the swimming he’s been doing,” Lopez said.
Last year was Joseph’s first year on the Galt Gators, and he has taken an interest in swimming perhaps more than anyone else in the Lopez family.
“Both my husband and I swam, but he really took to it. My daughter has fun with it and plays,” Lopez said.
Joseph, who also plays soccer and baseball, goes through several tasks every day to make sure his body will work as it should.
“He does at least one breathing treatment a day. Right now, because of all the fires and smoke, we’re doing three breathing treatments a day,” Lopez said Friday morning while watching Joseph practice at the Gora Aquatic Center.
“He spends 20 minutes every day loosening up anything in his lungs that needs to be loosened. He has inhalers, he has different medicines he takes,” said Lopez.
Joseph’s favorite event is the freestyle, although he quickly names off several other events when asked about his favorite part about swimming.
“Diving in and doing freestyle and backstroke,” Joseph said.
After one of his three races Saturday, Joseph slapped high-five with a Gators coach and did three consecutive somersaults in the water at the end of the lane.
The Lopezes have been given permission to remove the plug so that Joseph can take his supplements solely by mouth, but Joseph and his parents want to leave it in for a bit longer.
“In the morning, if he gets all his medicine and he gets a good high-calorie feeding and once we know he’s going to eat all the time and take all of his medicine by mouth then he can definitely get rid of it,” Lopez said.
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but research has improved the quality and length of life for those with the condition, according to the CFF.
CF patients have the advantages of several medications such as mucus-thinners and antibiotics that help patients live easier.
Approximately 30,000 Americans have CF, according to the CFF, and since patients are diagnosed before they are two years old, the potential for advanced treatment is a constant.
Since last weekend’s championships marked the end of the swim season, Joseph may have a hard time not being in the pool every day, keeping busy.
However, there is still soccer and baseball to play, and who knows what he will find himself playing next.
“When something clicks, he runs with it,” Lopez said. “He really enjoys being active and learning things.”
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