'Swimming mirrors my cystic fibrosis treatment'

A man who was told he would not live until 30 is to celebrate his birthday doing a lake swimming challenge.

Adam Ball, who lives with cystic fibrosis which affects his ability to breathe, will swim the length of 13 lakes in the Lake District over the summer.

Mr Ball, who is from South Shields, said swimming did "wonders for his lungs" and the sport had an "uncanny resemblance" to his treatment.

"To get to my 30th birthday and feel like I'm in a good position with my cystic fibrosis, I wanted to do something to celebrate that with a purpose," he added.

Cystic fibrosis is the most common inherited life-threatening condition in the UK.

It affects the ability of cells to transport salt and water, which can cause sticky mucous to build up.

It can affect several organs but especially the lungs and the digestive system.

Mr Ball was diagnosed with the condition from birth, which he said "always had its challenges" but he has had "amazing support" from his parents and Newcastle RVI.

"When I was born, my parents were told life expectancy was 30, so getting to this age potentially wasn't going to be the case."

Mr Ball said along with taking 70 pills and other nebulizers, one of treatments had been a positive expiratory pressure mask, which creates pressure to rid mucus from his lungs.

"Using the mask alone would take an hour and a half on a daily basis," he said.

"But with swimming, I've found it has an uncanny resemblance to the mask.

"After I swim, it just feels so nice on your lungs and it's easier to breathe."

He said taking a so-called "miracle drug" Kaftrio had "enabled him to get the most out of life" too.

Mr Ball will aim to swim across all 13 publicly accessible lakes in the Lake District, covering a total of 71km (44 miles) while raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

He said he could become the first person with the condition to complete the challenge.

"It's almost as if I've been training for this challenge my entire life from having the PEP mask.

He said swimming brought him "so much joy".

"It's the one thing where you just switch off from everything and it's so therapeutic."

Vanessa Newton, from Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said Mr Ball's challenge was "incredible".

"Money raised helps us provide emotional, physical, and financial support to everyone with cystic fibrosis and their families, fund lifesaving research, and work towards a future free from the limits of cystic fibrosis."

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