Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby
Tim wears a basketball uniform and sits on the bench at a basketball game. He is out of breath and watches a teammate run past with the ball. Moby is the coach and wears a suit jacket and tie and carries a clipboard.
MOBY: Beep!
Moby gestures to Tim that he should reenter the game.
TIM: Give me a sec, Moby. My asthma is acting up.
Tim breathes in asthma medication from an inhaler.
MOBY: Beep
TIM: I'm not calling you "coach".
Moby looks disappointed, then walks over to another player and sends her into the game. She runs onto the basketball court.
MOBY: Beep!
<whistle>
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I have cystic fibrosis and kids always ask me what it is. Could you make a movie about it so I don't have to explain CF a million more times? Thanks, Savannah. I totally get where you're coming from. We'd be happy to help you out. Cystic fibrosis might sound pretty scary. But people with CF can do most things anyone else can.
Behind Tim is his teammate, who shoots and makes a foul shot.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: CF does cause respiratory problems. People get winded more easily and have trouble breathing sometimes. You might also notice that they cough. Like, a lot.
Moby watches as the girl sits down, red faced and coughing. Images show the girl coughing at school, at the playground, and shopping.
TIM: At times, the coughing fits can be pretty bad. But cystic fibrosis is not at all contagious.
The last image widens to show the girl shopping with a woman who is not worried about the coughing.
TIM: Those respiratory problems come from a thickening of mucus in the lungs. That's a sticky fluid our bodies make to protect and lubricate our organs.
An image shows the respiratory system, including the lungs, bronchial tubes, and diaphragm. A detail enlarges and shows the mucus that lines a healthy airway within one of the lungs.
TIM: In our lungs, it captures unhealthy stuff like germs and bacteria. When we cough it up, out go those harmful microbes.
An animation shows germs and bacteria entering the airway and getting caught in the mucus. Coughing loosens the mucus and flushes it out along with the microbes.
TIM: Mucus is usually super-slick and slippery. In people with cystic fibrosis, it's much thicker, almost like glue. The stickier mucus clogs airways and makes it difficult to breathe. It also traps a lot more germs. But it's way, way harder to expel.
An image shows the airway of a person with CF. The mucus is very thick and traps the microbes. The airway opening is narrower than that of the healthy airway.
<Coughing>
TIM: So lung infections from chest colds to pneumonia are more common.
An image shows the lungs in a person's chest.
TIM: That’s why classmates with cystic fibrosis are often out sick.
An image shows the sick girl at home, in bed. She coughs hard.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: The thicker mucus comes from a problem with a cell protein called CFTR. It’s part of cell membranes throughout the body.
An image shows a cell protein embedded in the cell membrane.
TIM: CFTR controls the flow of water into and out of the cell. When CFTR is working properly, mucus around the cells is fluid and runny.
A second image shows a single cell with its nucleus and cell membrane.
TIM: But when the protein is missing or malfunctioning, water stays trapped inside the cells. As a result, mucus is starved of water, and it becomes thick and sticky.
Images show mucus building up in the cell membrane and in the membrane over the CFTR.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Unfortunately, cystic fibrosis doesn't only affect the lungs. It also limits the function of the pancreas, an organ that helps you absorb nutrients. Normally, the pancreas releases digestive enzymes into the small intestine. The enzymes break food down into the nutrients our bodies need.
An animation shows the pancreas, an organ that lies beneath the stomach. Food particles pass through the stomach. Enzymes from the pancreas break the food apart, releasing nutrients and exiting through the small intestine.
TIM: In people with CF, thick mucus blocks the tubes that deliver the enzymes. So nutrients stay trapped inside the food.
A close-up shows the thick lining inside the tube. Enzymes are trapped inside the tube and the food is not broken down.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Yeah, kids with cystic fibrosis often struggle with malnutrition. They tend to be on the smaller side and have trouble gaining weight. Eating plenty of snacks can boost their energy levels. They also take enzyme pills to help them digest.
The screen shows a row of students, with Tim's teammate in the middle. She has a snack and a pill bottle on her desk. An animation shows the girl eating and taking her enzyme pill.
TIM: For their lungs, they do daily treatments to keep the airways clear.
An animation shows the girl courtside with a breathing apparatus held to her face. Moby watches her.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Machines called nebulizers thin mucus out. They deliver medicine in mist form straight into the lungs.
The animation shows the girl breathing in and out with the nebulizer mask over her mouth. The outline of her body is shown and the mist from the nebulizer travels down into her lungs.
TIM: Special vibrating vests also break up mucus.
An animation shows the girl wearing a red, vibrating vest as she watches the game. Moby places his hand comfortingly on the girl’s shoulder.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Anyway, loosening all that gummy mucus is good news for the lungs. Nebulizers and vests make it easier to hack it all out. That helps keep infections away and makes breathing a lot easier.
An image shows a nebulizer machine and a vest. A popup image shows the outline of a person’s lungs while breathing.
<Crowd cheers>
Moby watches as the girl reenters the game, leaving her vest behind. Moby points at the vest and looks at Tim.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Go nuts, Moby. Remember, cystic fibrosis isn't contagious. It's genetic. That means it's passed down from parents to kids.
An image of a family tree appears, with the girl at the bottom and her mom and dad on the line above her. Then four grandparents appear on the top row.
MOBY: Beeeeeep?
Moby is wearing the vibrating vest. His voice shakes from the vibration.
TIM: Actually, kids with CF rarely have parents with it, too. More often, the parents are both carriers. That means they have one gene that’s normal, and one CF gene.
An image shows the outline of two parents, each carrying one normal gene and one gene for CF.
TIM: You get one gene from each parent, and which one you get is random. You only need one normal copy to ensure your CFTR proteins work properly. So even if both parents are carriers, it's only a 1 in 4 chance that any child will have cystic fibrosis.
The image shows the parents at the top of a family tree, connected to four children below them. One child has normal genes, two show a single CF gene, and one shows two CF genes.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Testing to see if you're a carrier is crazy expensive. There are more than 1,000 mutations that can cause CF.
An image shows a scientist looking over a document. He checks off a few lines on the document with a red pen.
TIM: That's why we need all the help we can to find a cure.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: You can volunteer at organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They organize events to raise money for treatment and research.
An image shows a large banner that reads "Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Foundation." Under the banner is a large group of people.
TIM: In our lifetimes we might just beat cystic…
<whistle>
MOBY: Beep!
Moby drops his clipboard and waves his arms in frustration at the referee's whistle. Tim watches, exasperated.
TIM: Settle down, Moby, you're gonna get a technical.
MOBY: Beep!
A small robot, dressed as a referee, approaches them.
TIM: Sorry, ref, I've got this.
Moby and Tim are courtside as a player runs by. Moby, relaxed, is wearing the vibrating vest, and Tim is reading a magazine, "Robot Week." Tim lowers the magazine and is eating a snack. Moby's eyes close.
TIM: Come on, guys, let's see some hustle! Hustle….
Tim munches on the snack bar and returns to his magazine.