THE parents of two little girls with cystic fibrosis have arranged a football match to raise money for life-changing gene therapy.

Lisa and Colin Russ have will hold a day of football matches on Sunday, May 15 for Flutterby FUNdraisers, a charity financing research into cystic fibrosis gene therapy.

Both the couple’s daughters, three-year-old Scarlett and two-year-old Eva, have the condition.
It affects the lungs and the digestive system, clogging them with sticky mucus, which makes it hard to breathe or digest food.

In 2013, the couple fundraised £10,000 to buy Scarlett, then only a year and a half old, a special vest which helps to shift the mucus out of her lungs, easing her breathing.

Mrs Russ said: “Scarlett has been doing really well.

“She’s been in hospital once in the last two years – that was last March.

“Scarlett uses the vest every day in the morning and does her other physio in the afternoon.

“The both of them do two sets of physio every day.”

The football match was suggested after leaps in the field of gene therapy brought great improvements in the quality of life for cystic fibrosis sufferers closer to reality.

Mrs Russ said: “It was talked about for a long time.

“Last year in May, around Scarlett's birthday, there was some news with regards to gene therapy.

“They have been researching it for years and now they're aiming to prevent the long term damage by keeping short term symptoms in check.

“Obviously, everything needs funding and that’s what this football match is about.

“A lot of people don’t realise that everybody with cystic fibrosis has different genes that cause it, but gene therapy literally helps everybody with the disease.”

The football match next month will be held Weymouth’s Bob Lucas Stadium and will be run by Portland Town FC who will put on matches for several different age groups.

Colin Russ plays football with the club and they have got involved in fundraising with the family before.

Mrs Russ said: “Scarlett is really excited about the whole thing.

“We’ve got a bouncy castle and someone coming to do manicures on the children.

“She’s very excited about the manicurist because she loves getting her nails done.”

The stadium gates open on the day at 2pm.