SCONE locals Nick and Kelly Birch brought two beautiful, happy daughters into the world four years ago.
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Twins, Liberty and Mackenzie, were born with Cystic Fibrosis – a genetic lung condition that affects one in every 2,500 babies.
Now, their father Nick Birch and his friend Dwayne are on a special mission.
The pair are preparing to conquer a feat as big as Everest itself and will climb to Mt Everest base camp on October 29.
And, it’s all in the name of raising awareness and funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
There are over one million carriers of Cystic Fibrosis in Australia alone and most are not even aware that they carry this life shortening genetic condition.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation works to find a cure, fund research and drug development and provide access to high-quality care so that people living with the condition can lead full, productive lives.
Mother of Liberty and Mackenzie, Kelly Birch said they wanted to plan something local to raise awareness.
“As the twins get older, the Cystic Fibrosis will make it harder for them to breathe – that is the theme behind climbing Mt Everest – to give people the idea of restricted oxygen,” she said.
“It’s about raising awareness,” Kelly said.
“Cystic Fibrosis is currently the most common disease affecting Caucasian people, but not many people know much about it.
“We have two other children who are perfectly healthy, so we didn't know that we carried the CF gene, as carriers are unaffected,” she said.
To help Nick and Kelly raise awareness before the big climb, The Belmore Hotel in Scone will host a Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser on Friday September 22.
Great prizes, entertainment, a sausage sizzle and an afternoon of family fun will all kick off at 3.30pm.
The entertainment will continue into the evening, with live music from 8.30pm until late.
Raffle tickets for the event are $2 each and can be purchased from The Belmore Hotel and Dymocks butchers in Aberdeen.
“The theme for Cystic Fibrosis NSW this year is 55 roses and there will be rose packages up for grabs from the raffle – with five main prizes,” Kelly said.
All money raised will go towards cystic fibrosis research and finding a cure.