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Cystic Fibrosis

Thirty five year old singer Ian Tucker was born with Cystic Fibrosis, the UK’s most common life threatening genetic disease. He lives with his fiancée Lydia in a small rural town in North Wales.

This film looks at Ian’s daily routine of pills, nebulisers, and physiotherapy, and how his disease affects his passion for singing. We follow Ian and Lydia as they meet some of the country’s leading scientists to find out how their research might help people with Cystic Fibrosis.

What Can Science Do for Ian?
At the Health Protection Agency’s Centre For Infection in London Dr Tyrone Pitt, a microbiologist who studies the bacteria that could cause Ian serious lung infection, tells Ian of the different strains that could affect him.

Because of the risk of infection they are unable to meet but Dr Pitt answers Ian’s questions via a video message, which Ian and Lydia watch from a nearby café.

Ian and Lydia then travel to the University of Wales in Swansea to meet the scientists working on a device which may one day replace the lung function in people with lung disease. 

They then meet Dr Janis Shute at the University of Portsmouth who is looking at ways to thin the sputum that builds up on a CF patients lungs.

Ian’s and Lydia’s final visit is to Prof. Eric Alton who tells them about the future of CF research in particular reference to gene therapy, the holy grail of treatments for CF and many other diseases.

Ian's Thoughts

Singing is everything to Ian