Pirongia childcare centre show support for pupil with cystic fibrosis

Noah was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was 6 weeks old. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

A childcare centre has really showed their support for one of their pupils who has cystic fibrosis.

Impressions Childcare Centre in Pirongia has only just welcomed Noah Crawford who is 3 years old now but at just 6 weeks old was diagnosed with the disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system.

Noah is the only and first child at the childcare centre to attend who has the disorder.

"We felt really lucky that here is the first place he's been without his mum but none of us knew anything about it (cystic fibrosis)," says Impressions Childcare Centre manager Susan Mconie.

Last Thursday, to coincide with Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month, the childcare centre hosted a blue bubble day to raise funds and awareness.

There was a bake sale and as parents arrived to pick up their children they were invited to purchase treats for a donation.

Staff and children were also dressed up in blue.

From the day they managed to raise $420.80 for the Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand organisation.

Noah's parents Michelle and Brad had received an indication that he may be a carrier or have CF from cystic fibrosis.

This still came as a surprise to them though as to their knowledge, there was no known history of the disorder on either side of the family.

But after all, it turned out that both of them had a copy of the gene and were carriers, meaning that there was a one in four chance that they would have a child with cystic fibrosis.

Michelle says life for Noah at the moment is fairly similar to all 3-year-olds.

"He just has extra treatments that he does in the morning and at night to basically keep him as healthy as we can," says Michelle.

He also has to take medication whenever he eats.

Most people's mucus is thin and slimy but Noah's is thick and slimy so his treatments help to keep his mucus moving.

And while some people might think of mucus just being in the lungs, it actually is found everywhere in the body, says Michelle.

"The other main area that affects him is his food, there's mucus in your pancreas which helps you process your food, in particular fat and protein. So he needs to take medication when he eats fat and protein that will allow him to process the food," says Michelle.

At first there was a little bit of concern for Noah to start daycare; it meant that teachers were going to be administering his enzymes with his food.

But after a visit to the daycare by Noah's specialist nurse, the teachers making an effort to learn about the disorder and hosting the blue bubble day concerns diminished.

"It's really awesome support, I feel like we definitely chose the right daycare," says Michelle.