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| Visit rachelfletcher.org for ways you can help. Shockers, for instance, will be interested in an opportunity to take home a Wichita State themed quilt from the Race for Rachel slated for Sept. 21 (2002). Patchworked into the quilt’s sunflower yellow and black color scheme are squares with autographs of WSU athletes. Visit Rachel’s website for details. |
This WSU student is determined. She’s determined to graduate summa cum laude in December — and she’s determined to save her life.
Rachel Fletcher, 21, an integrated marketing communication major, suffers from cystic fibrosis, and she is going to die if she doesn’t get a double lung transplant soon.
Cystic fibrosis causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the pancreas. Fletcher got on a transplant waiting list in December 2001, and she has about a year to raise $100,000 so she can have a chance to survive into her 30s. The “new” lungs won’t cure her condition, but they will give her something priceless — time: time for a quality life to be with her family, friends and longtime boyfriend, Quinn; time for her to grow and develop and do some of the things that many people take for granted.
And they will give her father, Lee, and mother, Phyllis, more years with their only daughter. Rachel’s brother, James, also has CF, but Phyllis, who is an assistant professor of nursing at WSU, says he has always been physically stronger than Rachel. So far James, who is a pipe fitter, has endured the disease better than most. The specific defective inherited gene that causes cf was discovered in 1989. Both parents must be carriers for their children to have the disease.
Phyllis reports that as a child Rachel ran, swam, played volleyball and fully participated in many other school activities until the disease began taking its toll. It wasn’t until she was about 17, when her health began to deteriorate, that she was fully aware of the extent of the disease. Despite her illness, Rachel has always been a very giving person, Phyllis says. “She’s always been one to offer a hand of friendship to others.” Now, Phyllis and her family hope that others will give to Rachel.
“My health isn’t that great now,” Rachel says. “I have problems breathing and I’m coughing all the time. I have to take three or fours hours each day to do breathing treatments and chest physical therapy and my medications.”
Now, she’s playing the waiting game. When she went to the doctor last September, her lung capacity was only at 30 percent and her doctor suggested it was time to consider a transplant. Without it, her survival time has been estimated to be one to three years.
Insurance will cover the cost of the transplant expenses; however, it does not cover pre- and post-transplant care and recovery. Deductibles and co-pays for ongoing medication cost thousands of dollars as well. The family suffered a blow a few months ago when Rachel’s father was laid off from Boeing after working there for 12 years.
As Rachel awaits the future, she says it’s tough to think about the fact that she likely won’t live a statistically normal lifespan. “But I can’t let that stop me from living life to the fullest now,” she says. “I’d like to make the most of the time I do have, and that means doing everything I would have done if I didn’t have cf. That’s part of the reason why it’s so important to me to get my degree.”
Rachel says that the prospect of a short life and feeling sick most of the time can be depressing. But through family and friends, she has a strong support system. “My family and boyfriend are always there for me when I need them. With the fund-raising effort now, it’s made me feel really good with all the wonderful people who have come forward to help — friends and strangers.”
She smiles. “I feel like I have more to do in this world, and I’m working to get the time to do it.”
— Julie Rausch ’93
