Breath from Salt

Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever by Bijal P. Trivedi. Cystic fibrosis was once a mysterious disease that killed infants and children. Now it could be the key to healing millions with genetic diseases of every type. In 1974, Joey O'Donnell's symptoms - insatiable appetite, incessant vomiting, and a relentless cough - confounded doctors and caused his parents agonizing sleepless nights. The gene and mutation responsible for cystic fibrosis were found in 1989, but treatments unexpectedly failed and the disease was deemed incurable. However, an unprecedented partnership between the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and a biotech company led to transformative leaps in drug development, producing groundbreaking new treatments that could fix the crippled protein at the root of this deadly disease. This book tells the story of how science writer Bijal P. Trivedi captured the emotions of families, doctors, and scientists involved in clinical trials, revealing the 'weeping with joy' as new drugs were approved, and showing how cystic fibrosis became a manageable condition for many.