The father of this Saturday’s Cars & ‘Q for the Cause ambassador didn’t learn until after her diagnosis that he also has cystic fibrosis.
Penelope and her parents, Chad and Emma Smith of Sandy Springs, will be on hand for the 15th year of the fundraiser on Oct. 19 in Sandy Springs. From 3-6 p.m. supporters will gather at Choate Construction at 8200 Roberts Drive. Tickets are still available online, with donations also accepted. Children under 8 years old are free.
As of a few days before the event, $632,000 had been raised, $18,000 less than the goal.
“I’ve always had weird things happen to me medically that were never really explained, mostly digestive and I could never get an answer. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease a couple of years ago,” he said.
Genetic testing after his daughter’s birth revealed he had two mutations of cystic fibrosis, something he probably wouldn’t have known without Penelope’s diagnosis.
Smith said they didn’t know if Penelope would survive with surgeries and other treatments necessary. When she’s not feeling good it’s a struggle, but when she’s doing well it makes him appreciate life in a different way.
He’s learned to make changes in his life such as being more diligent about washing his hands at work and using hand sanitizer so he doesn’t bring home any illness to Penelope.
Making it tougher on Penelope was the discovery she also has allergic reactions to enzymes. Even today they need to bottle-feed her. Smith said that irritates her when Penelope sees them eating chicken or other food. They have to limit what she can eat because her pancreas doesn’t break down fats properly.
As she gets older and enters preschool, Smith said his daughter will have to be more aware of things like playing in the dirt and sand or jumping into mud puddles. That carries the risk of lung conditions. Now her restrictions are mostly in her diet.
“She just wants to be a toddler. She wants to eat all that ice cream and eat all the cake or whatever she can get her hands on, but she’s mostly limited to the milk,” Smith said.
He advises other parents whose children are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis to not hesitate and ask for help. Smith said the day he opened up and started wearing his heart on his sleeve, the family started getting so much support and great advice.
“Take it a day at a time and just open your ears, open your heart,” he said.
Penelope was named the Cars & ‘Q for the Cause ambassador after her dad started a Facebook page, Prayers for Penelope, mostly to communicate with the many family members who were reaching out.
“I’ve always been a faith-driven guy, and I just thought that maybe if I could get the message out there that we could have people praying for us and supporting us,” Smith said.
Now the page has 23,000 followers and some Cystic Fibrosis Foundation board members are following her story. That, coupled with his wife’s go-getter attitude, resulted in Penelope becoming the ambassador.
Smith said he has been reaching out to fathers and Cystic Fibrosis groups and has had conversations with families across the world.
At the Choate Construction sponsored Cars & ‘Q for the Cause event, show drivers will compete for the “People’s Choice Award” and “Skip’s Choice Award.” Skip Smith, a car historian and host of Velocity Channel’s Caffeine & Octane Show, will present the latter award to his favorite car.
