“My husband was a carrier for a very rare mutation of cystic fibrosis,” says Stacey Armato, whose son Massimo Armato is now 2 years old and sees Dr. Marlyn Woo at UCLA Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine. “At five days old Massimo had surgery to remove a burst intestine. At 5 weeks old, he had stopped breathing due to an infection. And he’s had pneumonia, pseudomonas and some other infections since then. We’re hopeful, that as parents with a child who has a rare genetic disorder, that our team at UCLA Health can play a big part in research and development for a cure. We know we’re in good hands. It feels like we’re part of a small family that cares for Massimo like we do.”

Tags: cystic fibrosis, Dr. Marlyn Woo, genetic disorder, heritable disease, Patient Story, pneumonia, pulmonary disease, Pulmonology, Pulmonology, UCLA Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine