By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 3/17/05)

More than 1,100 Bishop O’Connell students spent 12 hours at school last Saturday. They weren’t there for tests or for reviews and no time was spent in the science lab, but they were working to find a cure.

The students gathered for the 30th annual Superdance — the annual 12 hour dance-a-thon held to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Students raised money by collecting pledges and buying Superdance wristbands.

According to Student Council Adviser Megan Cunningham, about $179,000 was pledged at the dance, but more money could be raised as students collect their pledges. Over the last 30 years, more than $2.9 million has been raised.

This year more alumni were involved and several members of the class of 1976, the first class to hold a Superdance, attended. Many former O’Connell students have children attending the school and returned to support the dance.

In 1975, O’Connell sophomore Brenda O’Donnell died from cystic fibrosis. The disease would later claim the lives of three of her siblings. Then-principal Msgr. James McMurtrie challenged the students to organize the first Superdance in support of their classmates with cystic fibrosis.

In 1978, Brenda’s sister Maura attended her last Superdance before her death. She told the students, "All of you I know have dreams — dreams of going to college, dreams of success, of love and happiness — dreams for the future. We with CF have dreams too. Your wonderful all-out effort and work for this dance-a-thon may help to make some of our dreams come true."

Cystic fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease that causes lung and digestive disorders in addition to other symptoms. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, approximately 30,000 children and adults are affected by cystic fibrosis. More than 10 million Americans unknowingly carry the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis. Each parent must be a carrier for a child to be born with cystic fibrosis. About one in every 3,500 live births results in a child with cystic fibrosis. Approximately 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The median age of survival for a person with cystic fibrosis is in the mid-30s.