Legacy of two young men who battled cystic fibrosis lives on

The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
www.enterprisenews.com
Through health, sickness and death, the legacy of two young men who battled cystic fibrosis lives on
By Maureen Boyle
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
BROCKTON — One photo shows two beaming, 5-year-old boys in a Boston hospital room, arms around each other, facing the future.
A second shows the two, as young men, still smiling, their lives coming to an end.
It is how Kathleen Norwood wants to remember her son, Christopher, and his friend, Jimmy Horan — two boys grinning, facing life with cystic fibrosis and relishing every moment.
Christopher Norwood of Brockton died on Dec. 12, 2005, at age 23 following an infection. Horan, 24, of Billerica, died on Oct. 12, 2006, 10 months to the day later.
"They kept each other going," Kathleen Norwood said. "They had incredible strength."
Her husband, Gerald, lights one candle, surrounded by photos, near the kitchen window in Christopher's memory each morning. His wife lights a second across the room in memory of Jimmy.
It keeps the memories alive. It also keeps alive the hope that cystic fibrosis may one day be cured.
"There is not a doubt in my mind that there will be a cure sometime," Kathleen Norwood said. "There is just incredible hope out there today. These kids have a great chance."
To help those children, the Norwoods are hosting a fundraiser on Oct. 27 from 7-11 p.m. at the Massasoit Community College conference center to benefit Tufts New England Medical Center's Floating Hospital for Children, where both boys were treated for years.
Tickets are $50 and can be obtained by e-mailing kathy.norwood@gmail.com. Reservations must be made by Thursday.
There are about 30,000 people in the United States diagnosed each year with cystic fibrosis — a genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and clog the body organs. Among the genetic diseases, it is the top killer of children and young adults — like Norwood and Horan — in the country.
"They learn a lot about life at a young age," Norwood said.

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