The public is invited to a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research.
The historic Fort Orange Club in the heart of downtown Albany is hosting "Autumn Mix and Mingle," to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Donna Clark is executive director of the foundation. She says the November 1st event is an adults-only evening of wine and beer tasting and great food selection, and all for a good cause:
"Every room will have a different food pairing with the products that are being tasted in each room.. We'll have a silent auction, some unique items that will be on display and able to be purchased that night through bidding. We have the band Gravity taking over the dining room at the club, they are performing, attendees will be dancing."
John Franklin is president of the board of directors of the northeastern New York chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease, it affects about 30,000 people in the United States. Both parents have to be carriers of the gene in order for a child to have cystic fibrosis. There's no known cure for cystic fibrosis right now, but we are making a lot of progress in 'buying the science.' That's why we raise money because we're trying to buy the science to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. The foundation has been in existence for a little over 50 years, but until the gene was actually discovered in the late 1980's there wasn't much that could be done as far as treating cystic fibrosis."
Franklin adds Albany Medical Center has one of the largest cystic fibrosis treatment centers in New York.
"This is the only one regionally between here and Canada, and it covers over into Vermont and Western Massachusetts also, and it's got both a pediatric center for young children with cystic fibrosis, and the good news is that now we have an adult center because there's a need for adult treatment for patients with cystic fibrosis. There was a time when that wasn't really necessary, but now it is because they've made a lot of progress with treating the symptoms of cystic fibrosis. Now our next step is to treat the actual cause of the disease."
