CEDAR FALLS -- Shane Farmer admits his plans for this weekend's Sturgis Falls 5K run sound a bit silly.

When he takes his place at the starting line Sunday morning, Farmer, a Cedar Falls firefighter, will be in full bunker gear, including an air tank and breathing mask.

But his reason for donning the extra 40 to 50 pounds is anything but goofy. His goal isn't just to finish the race; he also hopes to raise $500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of Maren and Berne Denison.

"Just having that mask on your face will make your core temperature stay higher, and when you are breathing off those cylinders your lungs have to work harder than if you are breathing normal air," he said. "Me running on this air is as close as I can get, for that short period of time, to the struggle they have faced their whole life."

The Denison twins, now 3, have battled the disorder, which affects multiple body systems, since birth. Their daily routine includes more than 30 medicines designed to help them digest food and keep their liver functioning. They also focus a good deal on nutrition since their digestive troubles keep them from properly absorbing many needed calories and nutrients.

But it is the disorder's most well-known symptom, a reduced lung function, that Farmer is attempting to re-create. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, people with the disorder possess a defective gene that causes the body to produce a faulty protein. The faulty protein leads to abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can result in fatal lung infections.

"We had Shane over for dinner because we knew he was working so hard with the floods. He was already a hero in my book," said Stacy Van Gorp, the twins' mother. "So when he turned around and said he had this idea, we are just so thankful that Shane wants to use his skills and his body to help our kids. We have had so much support from the Cedar Valley. It's inspiring and touching."

Farmer, who usually participates in a golf outing also benefiting cystic fibrosis, said it was the least he could do for the twins and others like them.

"Cystic fibrosis is tough on these kids' lungs. They have to do an hour of chest therapy each day, so for me to be in a little discomfort for 30 or 45 minutes to raise a little money is nothing compared to what they have to go through," he said.

Contact Emily Christensen

at (319) 291-1570 or

emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.