The Origin of Pathway
Pathway originally started as a way for me to deal with depression while also raising awareness for Cystic Fibrosis when people asked about the costume. With the help, guidance, and encouragement of some amazing people, he quickly became so much more than that. Pathway is a superhero that has CF and rescues other patients from bad guys who embody different struggles we face. We wanted the stories to be educational and inspirational while remaining entertaining for even non-patients. Our goal is 3 fold: 1) To show the world the truly tough warriors that CF patients are and get them to see us that way, 2) to educate people about some of the struggles that we face that are harder to explain, such as the 6 foot rule, and 3) to inspire those with CF to keep fighting and reaching for their dreams, whatever they may be. Everyone on our team has their own personal connection to CF, which is why we are so very passionate about it and chose to give it away for free with a suggested donation to the Legacy Foundation. With these much needed funds the Legacy Foundation may continue to help more and more patients and their families. We feel very fortunate to have found such an amazing sponsor and one that also does so much good for our community. For me personally, Colton Underwood is just one of a long list of amazing advocates that have inspired me to put my all into Pathway. Others, you may already know, such as Claire Wineland and Travis Flores, both of who I admire more than I can put into words. Then there are those who aren’t so well known but have helped me personally, likely more than they realize. We chose Pathway’s real name as Joshua James after someone who I’ve watched grow and fight and never give up even in the toughest of times. Joshua is my younger brother who also has CF and watching him grow and keep moving forward even when people told him he couldn’t, is one of the things that makes me fight so hard. Nurse Sue, who inspired the character of Nurse Mary, is one of my real life nurses. A true hero who will fight to the end alongside all of her CF Warriors. Karen Disney, Zach Duke, and the rest of the board at Sunny Shores Sea Camp, who first showed me that my brother and I weren’t alone in our fight. The list could go on forever and these are just the people I know personally.
Each Issue will touch on various issues facing CF patients and their families. For this first issue we mentioned the 6 foot rule. This rule was put into place to prevent patients from spreading bacteria between each other as there are several strains that can be lethal to us. 6 feet is the distance germs can spread from a cough or sneeze. Our bad guy, The Gasp, represents a father trying to protect his son at all costs, but also is an outward display of how bad air pollutants are for CF patients…even more so than people with healthy lungs. We also briefly show how sometimes our treatments are in the hands of people with different priorities than ours, such as hospital boards and insurance companies.
For future issues we want to hear from other patients and clinics and families about what issues they want to see Pathway tackle. This book is for the entire community and we want you all to feel like a part of it. We chose the catch phrase “You are the heroes that inspire me to fight!” for this exact reason. Every patient’s voice and struggle matters, and Pathway is here for all of you.
– Jeremiah Stemple