Crowd paddles in Newport to help fight cystic fibrosis

Stand-up paddleboard enthusiasts joined volunteers and children with cystic fibrosis and their families at the Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Beach for the Next National SUP Day to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The June 20 event, sponsored by Tustin-based Next Swimwear, was one of four such events that day. The others were in North Carolina, Chicago and Palm Beach, Fla.

Most in the crowd of about 125 people took to the water on stand-up paddleboards and in kayaks and large outrigger boats made available by the aquatic center.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that often causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. It causes mucus, sweat and digestive juices that normally are thin and slippery to become thick and sticky, plugging up tubes, ducts and passageways, especially in the lungs and pancreas, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no cure.

Children with the illness went out on the water for exercise and to breathe the salty air – activities that are believed to be therapeutic for cystic fibrosis patients.

“Despite all her treatments, her cough has never been more productive than when she’s out on the water,” Sarah Sampson, mother of 6-year-old Ginger Sampson, said in a statement. “Days like this are wonderful for all of us.”

Cole Jacobson, associate executive director of the Orange County chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, said: “More and more studies are proving that it’s the exercise and activity that are having dramatic results. That is what events like this help convey, and you can see it on the faces of the kids and young adults.”

--Rob Vardon