MAUMEE, Ohio — Weston Brown, of Maumee, was just two weeks old when he started getting sick.
"Five or six weeks of just really struggling with his lungs and his digestive system," mom Jenifer said.
Weston, now seven years old, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that creates thicker mucus in the body, making it harder to breathe and digest food. About 30,000 people in the United States have the condition, according to the American Lung Association. About three decades ago, the average life expectancy was in the 30s.
"It was really difficult but also really hopeful because it meant we had a plan," Jenifer said.
So began a lifelong treatment plan for Weston. Hospital visits became a regular commitment.
But in 2016, Jenifer, friends and family joined the Toledo Great Strides event, an annual walk put on by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise awareness for the condition.
The foundation raises tens of millions of dollars nationally each year, which the family credits to developing medication like the kind Weston uses now.
"It shows Weston that he's not alone in this and that he has lots of people rooting him on, and I think that's fantastic," Weston's uncle, Dylan Brown, said.
Today, the average life expectancy for a person with cystic fibrosis has grown to the late 50s.
On Sunday, Weston's family and friends will be a part of the Great Strides walk at Fifth Third Field. Jenifer said the community support means a lot.
"We fight this disease every day here with Weston, with treatments and all of that," Jenifer said. "You can forget sometimes all of the people that are fighting there with you even if they're not in it in the day-to-day. Having everyone show up, for Weston and myself, it feels really good to just be reminded that we really do have a whole village behind us."
The Brown family is hoping to raise as much money as possible as part of their walk team Weston's Warriors. The team is also raising money through t-shirt sales. The walk is set to begin at 1 p.m.