Sick teen will get her dolphin fantasy swim

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                           February 9, 2003 Sunday

HEADLINE: Sick teen will get her dolphin fantasy swim

BYLINE: Staff

   Kramarik wants to swim with the dolphins.

   " I've wanted to do that for about ... forever, " she said.

   This spring, she'll get her chance. Kramarik and her family will fly

to

Hawaii, where she will get to swim with dolphins.

   For Kramarik, it's a bittersweet thing to see his daughter's

dream come

true. He wants her to go. He wants her to have the time of her life, but

accepting this trip is one more piece in the pile of evidence he doesn't

like to

face.

   The trip is being arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

   " You know what that means, " said with a heavy sigh.

   It means that is very ill. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants

wishes

for children with serious or fatal illnesses.

   has cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes thick, sticky

deposits of

mucus on the linings of her lungs. These deposits can lead to scarring of

the

tissues on which they settle.

   As the scarring builds up over time, the lungs don't work as

effectively. The

disease also interferes with the digestion of important nutrients.

   " If you're lucky, life expectancy is 30, " said 's mom, Amy

Kramarik.

   Amy and first noticed their daughter coughing often and

struggling to

breathe when she was 5.

   Doctors had trouble diagnosing the problem, Amy said, treating her

instead

for asthma and allergies. Her cystic fibrosis wasn't detected until she

was 12.

   Until she was treated, life was pretty difficult for her.

   " She couldn't participate in activities that normal kids do, " Amy said

" She

had to sit out. She couldn't go swimming or riding a bike. She had a

chronic

cough, a continuous cough. She would get winded easily. "

   " I knew it was serious when I took her to Hershey Park, and she

couldn't get

from ride to ride, " said. " She'd have to sit on a bench and cough. "

   With treatment, is able to live a more active life. A freshman

at

Southside High School, she enjoys skiing and dancing.

   " She's pretty active right now because her lungs right now are pretty

good, "

Amy said.

   Every year, has to visit a Rochester hospital for two weeks of

intense antibiotic treatments that battle the bacteria that build up in

the

mucus in her lungs. She's on medication and takes strong vitamins.

   Every morning and evening, she puts on a vest for chest percussion

therapy.

The vest vibrates her lungs, which helps break up the mucus deposits.

   doesn't like the treatments, but she realizes they are a must.

   " I just know I have to do it, or I won't live until I'm 20, " she said.

   's doctor contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which organized

the

trip. 's trip is being sponsored by the Valu Home Center in

Southport

Plaza in Elmira. Donations to help pay for the trip are being accepted at

the

store.

Becki

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