By the smile on 10-month-old Crosslyn Gracia’s face you would never know that she suffers from Cystic Fibrosis (CF).
When the Woodward Elks heard about this courageous little girl and her families recent struggles, they chose her as the focus for their benefit car and motorcycle show held Saturday.
Dusty Gracia of Eakly is Crosslyn’s father. He’s loves riding broncos and has participated in the Elks rodeo for the past seven years.
On June 7, Dusty Gracia’s wife McKyna died in a car accident, leaving him to care for their infant daughter.
"Since McKyna’s death the families really been struggling to keep things together,” said Shelby Gracia, Crosslyn's aunt.
“After Crosslyn was born she was hungry all the time and losing weight. When she was two weeks old the doctors diagnosed her with Cystic Fibrosis,” said Crosslyn’s great-grandmother Donna Lawrence.
“Cystic Fibrosis is not a common disease.
There are only 350 cases in Oklahoma,” Shelby Gracia said. “Not many people understand what it is. I want people to know what it is and how it affects people who have it.”
“Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects many organs in the body. Most of the symptoms Crosslyn has affect her lungs and digestive system. Her immune system is compromised, making her more susceptible to bacterias that the rest of us don’t have to worry about,” said Crosslyn’s grandmother Sharla Sharry.
“She looks healthy because she’s been on enzymes since we discovered she had this disease,” she said.
There is currently no cure for CF, but there are treatment options. Crosslyn takes replacement enzymes before every meal which allows food she eats to digest properly.
Proceeds from the car and motorcycle show as well as proceeds from a poker run, fish fry and dance will go to help cover Crosslyn’s medical expenses.
“This is the second year that we’ve made the car show a benefit. Last year we raised about $10,000 for a little boy who has cancer and we hope we can help Crosslyn’s family, too,” said Alan Shive who was one of the organizers for the show.
You can read more about Crosslyn’s fight against cystic fibrosis at www.cure4crosslyn.com.
