Cystic fibrosis diagnosis leads one family to move closer to UC Davis Children's Hospital

Six years ago, the Morales family was living in Oklahoma, when they welcomed their baby daughter Sandra into the world. Shortly after her newborn screening tests, they learned that Sandra had cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections, limits breathing and can cause respiratory failure.

Her parents, Louan and Alejandro, had never heard of the disease before, but wanted to make sure Sandra had every opportunity to receive the best care. After much research, they learned that the top two facilities in the nation for cystic fibrosis treatments were located in Northern California.

Two weeks after Sandra’s diagnosis, the Moraleses packed up their family and moved to California so Sandra would be able to receive treatment from Sanjay Jhawar, a pediatric pulmonologist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

“Our family is very close, and at Sandra’s first UC Davis appointment, we had 11 people in the room,” said Sandra’s father Alejandro Morales.

Louan Morales remembers all of the questions their family had for Jhawar about Sandra’s diagnosis and treatment options.

“We had what seemed like a million questions about cystic fibrosis and treatment plans, but the doctors and staff always made us feel so comfortable and welcome, we now think of them like our extended family.

Now in first grade, Sandra sees Jhawar and the pediatric pulmonology team at UC Davis Children’s Hospital every three months to make sure her oxygen levels and gastrointestinal tract are in good shape to minimize the symptoms associated with cystic fibrosis and ensure that she leads as normal a life as possible.