Captured Event

September, 22 2005 - Cystic Fibrosis Foundation presents, "The Pittsburgh Wine Opener, presented by Lexus of North Hills"

What: Food and Wine Tasting

Where: Grand Hall at The Priory

When: September 22, 2005

Time: 6:00 PM

Ticket Prices: $50/person VIP Tickets $100/person

Presenting Sponsor(s): Lexus of North HIlls

Catering: Blue, Ibiza Restaurant, Jimmy G’s Restaurant & Catering, Kaleido Kone Creamery, Mallorca Restaurant, Nakama, Papa J’s Ristorante, Siba Cucina, Starbucks Coffee, The Melting Pot and Willow

Entertainment: Singing Chef Olga Watkins and Soul Kitchen

Attire: Casual Chic

Blacktie Photos by: Jill M. Kummer

The Pittsburgh Wine Opener, presented by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Lexus of North Hills with guests Hugh Harper and Kristi DeMaiolo
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The Pittsburgh Wine Opener presented by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Lexus of North HIlls The Wine Opener is a national wine-tasting series to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. From San Diego to Atlanta, The Wine Opener will reach an audience of thousands. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. A defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. These thick secretions also obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and absorb food. The mucus also can block the bile duct in the liver, eventually causing permanent liver damage in approximately six percent of people with CF. More than 10 million Americans are unknowing, symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene. An individual must inherit two defective CF genes—one from each parent—to have CF. Each time two carriers conceive, there is a 25 percent chance that their child will have CF; a 50 percent chance that the child will be a carrier of the CF gene; and a 25 percent chance that the child will be a non-carrier. CF occurs in approximately one of every 3,500 live births. About 1,000 new cases of CF are diagnosed each year. More than 80 percent of patients are diagnosed by age three; however, nearly 10 percent of newly diagnosed cases are age 18 or older. People with CF have a variety of symptoms including: very salty-tasting skin; persistent coughing, at times with phlegm; wheezing or shortness of breath; an excessive appetite but poor weight gain; and greasy, bulky stools. Symptoms vary from person to person due, in part, to the more than 1,000 mutations of the CF gene. The sweat test is the standard diagnostic test for CF. A sweat test should be performed at a CF Foundation-accredited care center where strict guidelines are followed to ensure accurate results. This simple and painless procedure measures the amount of salt in the sweat. A high salt level indicates CF. The treatment of CF depends upon the stage of the disease and the organs involved. Clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part of the daily CF treatment regimen. Chest physical therapy is a form of airway clearance done by vigorous clapping on the back and chest to dislodge the thick mucus from the lungs. Other types of treatments include TOBI® (tobramycin solution for inhalation), an aerosolized antibiotic used to treat lung infections; Pulmozyme®, a mucus-thinning drug shown to reduce the number of lung infections and improve lung function; and azithromycin, an antibiotic recently proven to be effective in people with CF whose lungs are chronically infected with the common Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. In addition, approximately 90 percent of all people with CF take pancreatic enzyme supplements to help them absorb food in digestion. According to the CF Foundation's National Patient Registry, the median age of survival for a person with CF is in the mid-30s. As more advances have been made in the treatment of CF, the number of adults with CF has steadily grown. Today, nearly 40 percent of the CF population is age 18 and older. Adults, however, may experience additional health challenges including CF-related diabetes and osteoporosis. CF also can cause reproductive problems - more than 95 percent of men with CF are sterile. But, with new technologies, some are becoming fathers. Although many women with CF are able to conceive, limited lung function and other health factors may make it difficult to carry a child to term. There are more than 117 CF Foundation-accredited care centers across the United States that specialize in the diagnosis of CF and provide care to people with the disease. Care center staff include physicians, nurses, nutritionists, respiratory therapists, social workers, genetics counselors, and other medical professionals. For more information on Cystic Fibrosis and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please log on to our website at: www.ccf.org or call us at 412-3213-4422.