Thriving with cystic fibrosis

ASHBURN, VA-Since she was six months old Murielle Tiernan, 18, has been fighting cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes her lungs to produce an excess of thick mucus. But anyone who has seen Tiernan take to the soccer field can see that in the fight against CF she is clearly winning.

Tiernan, a senior at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va. was recruited by Virginia Tech’s Women’s Soccer team and will begin her career as a Division I athlete this summer.

“The fact that Murielle has been so heavily involved in sports has been therapy and treatment and a health bonus because that’s the ideal circumstance, to go out and run and exercise,” her father, Ed Tiernan said.

Off the field, keeping Tiernan’s lungs as healthy as possible has been her family’s priority since her diagnosis. But as she prepares to head to college, Tiernan is confident that she can adequately administer her own nebulizer and mucus-loosening treatments.

“I could do it all on my own,” she said.