The Ames chapter of the Cycstic Fibrosis Foundation and Mary Greeley Medical Center are teaming up to host “Great Strides Walk to Cure Cystic Fibrosis,” a 10-kilometer walkathon that will take place Saturday at Brookside Park.

Chairpersons of the walkathon, Michelle and Steve Hall of Ames, have organized this event for the past three years. The Halls decided to take charge of the walk after their first son, Alex, was born with cystic fibrosis. Their second son, Shade, also has the disease.

Alex, 3 1/2, loves to go swimming, but unfortunately, there are days that he is unable to those things, Michelle Hall said.

“Being that he is a patient of CF, Alex sweats about five times more than normal,” she said. “We have to be very careful about the weather. During the summer, dehydration is a big concern. In cold, damp weather, his lungs are susceptible to infection because they are lined with mucus for easy breeding ground for bacteria to grow.”

The average life expectancy for a CF patient is 31 years, and 30,000 Americans have the disease. However, recent preventative measures have helped patients lead normal lives, Hall said.

“Research has really come a long way,” she said.

With 20 chair members collecting donations from local businesses, Hall said she hopes the walk will raise $32,000 for research. Money comes in through personal donations, and no registration fee is applied, she said. For each dollar raised, 91 cents will go toward research.

Some businesses sponsor walkers or give pledge money as well. Two big sponsors involved are Cyclone Contracting, 202 N. Franklin Ave., and Mary Greeley Medical Center, 1111 Duff Ave.

Hall said the therapy vest is one of the most current pieces of equipment available to help with physical therapy.

“Our older son has the therapy vest. It is so new and expensive [$16,000] that we had to prove to our insurance company that it really does make a difference,” she said.

The vest forces both lungs to work rather than just one at a time. Alex’s parents did this manually before he had the vest.

“The patient has to be a certain size to be in the machine because of the shaking of the lungs,” Hall said. “The vest vibrates the lungs to release the mucus so the patient can cough it out.”

Alicia Dorr, sophomore in speech communication, is on the planning committee in charge of food donations for the walkers. Dorr walked last year after hearing about the event from her resident assistant.

“I had a ball walking last year, and it’s been fun planning it this year,” she said.

Participation from both the Ames and Iowa State communities has been wonderful, Hall said.

“In the past, there have even been a few ISU students with cystic fibrosis that have been involved,” she said. “This year, however, there are no patients registered to my knowledge.”

Some ISU athletes and sponsors will participate in the walk and volunteer to serve water and snacks along the route. Several dorm floors also raised money for the walkathon, Dorr said.

She said students should get involved for a lot of reasons.

“It felt really good to know I was helping other people, and I’ve learned a lot about CF,” Dorr said.

Registration will be at Brookside Park, 1325 Sixth St., at 9 a.m., and the walk will start at 10 a.m.