Breath from Salt

A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever

De: Bijal P. Trivedi

Narrado por: Deepti Gupta

"Elaborating on the science as well as the business behind the fight against cystic fibrosis, Trivedi captures the emotions of the families, doctors, and scientists involved in the clinical trials and their 'weeping with joy' as new drugs are approved, and shows how cystic fibrosis, once a 'death sentence,' became, for many, a manageable condition. This is a rewarding and challenging work." --Publishers Weekly

Cystic fibrosis was once a mysterious disease that killed infants and children. Now it could be the key to healing millions with genetic diseases of every type - from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to diabetes and sickle cell anemia.

In 1974, Joey O'Donnell was born with strange symptoms. His insatiable appetite, incessant vomiting, and a relentless cough - which shook his tiny, fragile body and made it difficult to draw breath - confounded doctors and caused his parents agonizing, sleepless nights. After six sickly months, his salty skin provided the critical clue: he was one of thousands of Americans with cystic fibrosis, an inherited lung disorder that would most likely kill him before his first birthday.

The gene and mutation responsible for CF were found in 1989 - discoveries that promised to lead to a cure for kids like Joey. But treatments unexpectedly failed and CF was deemed incurable. It was only after the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a grassroots organization founded by parents, formed an unprecedented partnership with a fledgling biotech company that transformative leaps in drug development were harnessed to produce groundbreaking new treatments: pills that could fix the crippled protein at the root of this deadly disease.

From science writer Bijal P. Trivedi, Breath from Salt chronicles the riveting saga of cystic fibrosis, from its ancient origins to its identification in the dank autopsy room of a hospital basement, and from the CF gene's celebrated status as one of the first human disease genes ever discovered to the groundbreaking targeted genetic therapies that now promise to cure it.

Told from the perspectives of the patients, families, physicians, scientists, and philanthropists fighting on the front lines, Breath from Salt is a remarkable story of unlikely scientific and medical firsts, of setbacks and successes, and of people who refused to give up hope - and a fascinating peek into the future of genetics and medicine.

©2020 Bijal P. Trivedi (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Readable and clear explanation of cystic fibrosis

This book was a rare find. I met the author while sitting on a train during a 45-minute unscheduled stop. As we talked, she mentioned this book. As soon as she left the train, I downloaded it and started listening, and listening, and listening. I had a hard time putting it down. Ms, Trivedi clearly explains the cause of Cystic Fibrosis and its effects on a child. She chronicles the history, research, treatment, and cure for CF in a way that made me want to keep reading.

It is fascinating how far medical sciences come in such a short period of time!

It goes on just a little long. All the letter number designations of the different strands are a little overwhelming.

Encouraging and Engaging Read

Thorough and engaging through the entire book. A lot of scientific language but made easy to understand. Amazing to see the leaps and bounds that were made by scientists, families, and patients over the years.

Excellent research, chronology by Author Trivedi

Author Trivedi prepared excellent, chronological history and research and updates on CF and how CF impacted families. Her writings helped me know about CF, but also what is involved in the research for any disease and medications. The challenge was listening to the narrator, but I pushed through as I wanted to learn more. I would have preferred the author as the narrator.

An amazing book on medical science breakthrough

What a terrific piece of work on the story of so many committed individuals who made a major medical breakthrough possible. I learned more on genetic medicine and drug discovery from this book than three years working in this area.