Jim and Caprice Warren of Forest Park are glad Boomer Esiason is on their team.
But their enthusiasm has more to do with the health and vitality of their 2-year-old son, Blake, than it does with the recent success of the Bengals' veteran quarterback.
Like Gunnar, Boomer's 6-year-old son, Blake has cystic fibrosis, a chronic genetic disease that causes severe breathing problems and threatens to cut short his life.
Gunnar's effervescent personality and Boomer's perseverance and contributions to finding a CF cure have given hope to other CF families, said Mrs. Warren, 35. She recalls her nightmare reaction when told in 1995 that her prematurely born son had CF.
''Where I was a year ago and where I am today are completely opposite,'' she said, crediting the staff at Children's Hospital's cystic fibrosis clinic. The clinic - named after Gunnar and funded partly by Boomer - not only has provided treatment but has helped to demystify the disease and boosted awareness of it, she said.
Gunnar was diagnosed with CF at age 2. The visibility of his battle against it is invaluable to CF researchers, doctors and awareness advocates, said Susan Berliant, executive director of the Cincinnati chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money for research.
Mrs. Warren said the Esiasons' greatest impact has been providing the information, emotional support and resources she needs to help her son deal with his CF and the related health problems.
''When our son was diagnosed, we were totally devastated,'' she said. ''Most of what I knew about CF was what I'd learned in grade school, which was not hopeful at all.''
CF is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States, affecting about 1 in 2,500 whites and 1 in 17,000 blacks (it is rare in Asian-Americans). Most CF patients are diagnosed in infancy or childhood and have an average life expectancy of 31; Children's Hospital Medical Center currently has about 285 CF patients on its active patient roster.
''I feel very hopeful now. I am hopeful there will be a cure during Blake's lifetime,'' Mrs. Warren said. ''And knowing that people like Boomer are helping is another encouraging thing.''
A father's devotion
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1993: Gunnar Esiason, 2, is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
''He's going to be the guy who stands up and says, 'I beat this,' '' Boomer Esiason says. ''I really believe that.''
September 1993: Boomer Esiason establishes the Quarterback Challenge for Cystic Fibrosis to raise money for a cure.
May 1994: Boomer tells a U.S. Senate committee he's worried health reform could stifle research into drugs and treatments for diseases, including his son's.
May 1995: Boomer pledges $1.6 million to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through his Heroes Foundation. Children's Hospital Medical Center, which receives money for CF research, names its pulmonary medicine wing the Gunnar H. Esiason Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Center.
January 1996: Boomer accepts the National Football League's Man of the Year Award in honor of his son; the Heroes Foundation has raised $2.5 million to fight CF.
March 1996: Boomer's Heroes Original BBQ Sauce is launched, sales of which benefit the Heroes Foundation.
August 1997: Boomer leases a 20-seat luxury box at Cinergy Field so Gunnar can watch the Bengals play (cold air aggravates CF).
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Boomer, of course, views his son's disease with feelings and insights shared by other parents of CF children.
''My feeling is if you strip away Sunday afternoon and the uniform, I'm just like they are,'' Boomer said Tuesday. ''I have the same frustrations and uneasiness that they have. I'm just as afraid as they are. The difference is, I have a podium to speak from. It helps me deal with it, and it helps me if I know I can help them, too.''
The long-term impact of Mr. Esiason's visibility is tangible in its helping the foundation to educate the public and raise money. Dr. Robert Wilmott, director of pulmonary medicine at Children's and Gunnar's physician, said the Esiason family's willingness to publicly tackle a chronic disease and reframe it in a more hopeful light helps families in similar situations.
''When we meet families (at Children's) who are new at the time of diagnosis, they seem much more aware of cystic fibrosis because of Boomer and Gunnar Esiason,'' he said. ''Boomer takes a positive, upbeat approach to dealing with it and talks a lot about the work and research that's being done, and I think that rubs off and affects people positively.
''In fact, this is the disease we used to say that 'Kiss Your Baby Week' was all about, because people were told to kiss their babies to see if they had a salty taste,'' he said. ''These days, we say it's the disease that affects Boomer Esiason's son.''
In CF, a genetic protein defect causes certain organs and glands - especially the lungs, pancreas and sweat glands - to produce very thick, clogging mucus. People with CF have difficulty breathing, are prone to lung infections and may have digestive problems. Treatments include aerosol medicines, digestive enzymes, antibiotics to prevent infections and daily therapy sessions to loosen and expel mucus from the lungs.
Life expectancy for CF patients has increased about eight years in each of the last two decades and now averages 31 years, Dr. Wilmott said.
Since Gunnar's 1993 diagnosis, Boomer has launched a visible and persistent campaign to raise money and awareness toward a CF cure.
Because of his popularity, Boomer-signed footballs are worth more at auction, Ms. Berliant said. Attendance is greater at CF events. People are more willing to donate because of their affection and affinity for Boomer and his son.
''He helps by being the person that he is,'' she said. ''He's a leader, and he has such a good relationship with this particular city that people naturally want to hop on board and do something for him. It's a way that they feel they can support the cause.''
Mr. Esiason's appearance as a celebrity waiter last year helped bring in more than $60,000 - making it the foundation's most successful fund-raising event, Ms. Berliant said.
For Dr. Wilmott and others working against the disease, the ability to study new treatments, devices and approaches helps bring physicians and families closer to a cure.
''We have much more positive news to tell the families when the children are first diagnosed,'' said Dr. Wilmott, who noted that research has produced more effective treatment, nutrition plans, drugs and devices to help CF children breathe more easily.
''That's much different than it was 20 years ago. We're still pushing hard and hoping for a complete cure.''
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