When Jake Erling was five years old, doctors told his family he had cystic fibrosis and probably wouldn't live to see his 18th birthday. Those doctors would be stunned to
learn what their patient has been up to since.
Thanks to medical improvements and Erling's indomitable spirit, the 30-year-old Plymouth resident has proven them wrong.
On Feb. 10, he was one of 22 people with cystic fibrosis (CF) who climbed all 50 flights of the IDS Center in Minneapolis during Climb for a Cure, a fundraiser for the Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation.
More than 600 other climbers, including police and firefighters, joined in the effort. Each of the climbers who have cystic fibrosis wore a red star designating them as a CF
Star, and their presence was intended to inspire the other climbers, according to a news release from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Erling and his team of climbers weren't content to make one trip up the IDS Center though. The group made three trips up the 50 flights of stairs, averaging 15 minutes a climb.
"It was tough, but we made it," he said. "Most people have trouble climbing them one time. We were pretty impressed with ourselves."
Erling said he took part in the climb because fundraising is important. "It will help us find, if not a cure, a better way of living," he said. "You have to teach people around
you what's going on. The world doesn't fully understand CF. A lot of us have it, and a lot of us die from it."
Erling not only holds down a full-time job as the stock manager for Kaplan Brothers, but he also teaches karate at My Gym in Eden Prairie and Out on a Limb in St. Paul. And, in
addition to dealing with daily CF treatments, Erling has the additional challenge of living with Type 1 diabetes, which requires five insulin shots and around 10 blood sugar
tests each day.
"As I was growing up, there weren't any older people around with CF," he said, explaining he didn't have any role models to follow. "Now there are around 15. I've never seen that
before. It's good to actually see them."
Erling also finds strong role models among youngsters who have CF. "There's a kid with a double lung transplant, and he motivates me," Erling said.
As a child, it was difficult to accept that there were limitations to what his body could do, he said.
"It wasn't that someone told you not to do something, it was that your body slowed you down," Erling said. "You had to accept the fact that you couldn't always excel."
Despite that, Erling found ways to excel. He started karate training when he was 6 years old and earned a black belt by age 15, said Susan Martinez of Edina, Erling's mother.
"He has the strongest spirit and determination of any person I have ever met, so I wasn't surprised that he made black belt - very proud, but not surprised," she said. "I trained
beside Jake, so I am also a black belt. I earned it at age 38, which was tough, but I thought if Jake can do it, so must I.
"Jake's motto is 'Be brave. Be strong.' I have also adopted his motto, and it moves me through difficult times."
When Erling is relaxing, he enjoys spending time with his fiancée. He also enjoys music, but martial arts is his main hobby.
Looking toward the future, Erling said, "I plan to keep going ahead with martial arts and hopefully open my own gym some day."
His biggest goal, however, is also the most important.
"I work at just keeping healthy and staying alive," he said.
For more information about cystic fibrosis or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visit www.cff.org.
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Around 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. are afflicted with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation web site of www.cff.org.
Cystic Fibrosis, caused by a faulty gene, is an inherited, chronic disease, the website said.
CF causes the body to produce mucus that is unusually thick and sticky and can affect the lungs and the pancreas. Mucus can clog the lungs and increase the likelihood of
infection. It also can keep the pancreas from secreting enzymes needed to break down food, the website said.
At present there is no cure, but great strides have been made in the treatment of CF. Children born in the 1950s with the disease were considered fortunate if they lived through
their grade-school years. Today those with CF are living into their 30s, 40s and beyond, the website said.
