An Emporia infant who was born with medical problems has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
On Tuesday, Landon Dody, the infant son of Emporians Blythe and Aron Dody, was diagnosed with the disease. Cystic Fibrosis is a chronic inherited disease that mainly affects the lungs and digestive system, Aron Dody said.
Landon was born in January with an ileum atresia, which is a blockage in his small intestine. The blockage occurred early during Blythe Dody’s pregnancy and it killed a small part of Landon’s intestine. Landon had to have surgery to remove a portion of his small intestine.
Landon is at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where he is being tested by doctors and his parents are learning about his recent diagnosis
Aron Dody said everyone is born with two genes that carry the potential for cystic fibrosis.
“What determines whether or not a person has CF is that if both of those genes are altered,” he said. “If only one gene is altered then that person is just a carrier. If both genes are altered then that person will have CF.”