The SaltyLife Magazine Hopes to Empower People With Cystic Fibrosis

The photographer whose portraits shed light on adults with cystic fibrosis is introducing a magazine for people affected by the life-threatening disorder.

Ian Pettigrew, the man behind the viral “Just Breathe” and “SaltyGirls” photo series-turned-books, hopes to launch The SaltyLife magazine, a publication that will cover “all aspects of cystic fibrosis.”

CF is a chronic genetic disease that affects about 30,000 people in the U.S. and 70,000 people worldwide. People with CF inherit a gene that causes thick mucus in the lungs, pancreas and other organs and often results in symptoms like persistent lung infections, shortness of breath, coughing and salty-tasting skin. It’s often mislabeled as a “childhood thing” because of its life-shortening nature. In the 1950s, children with CF were not expected to live long enough to attend elementary school, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Today, nearly half of the CF population is age 18 or older, and adults are living into their 40s. Pettigrew, a portrait and fashion photographer from Hamilton, Ontario, was diagnosed when he was 38. Now, he’s 47, living with the condition, and on a mission to give hope to kids and teens who face scary statistics.

After the success of “Just Breathe” — which focuses on adults with CF — and “SaltyGirls” — which celebrates women with CF, Pettigrew set out to do a third book where he would focus on families raising a child with the disease. He realized he had much more to address. What about women with CF who have children? What about guys?

“The only real way to do that properly was to launch this as a magazine,” he told The Mighty in an email.

Once funds are raised for the project, Pettigrew hopes the magazine will be published quarterly. He wants it to address all aspects of CF — how it affects different people, its highs and lows, lifestyle tips and more. In doing all this he hopes to address one part of the condition so few talk about: how people with CF have difficulty finding or maintaining employment.

Pettigrew’s goal is to hire as many people with CF as possible, whether that’s by paying for submitted articles, proofreading, writing and/or conducting interviews, etc. — “Whatever I can do,” he said.

He has a realistic but hopeful outlook.

“The good news about CF is that I think we are really on the cusp of major genetic breakthroughs that might herald an actual cure,” he told The Mighty. “The bad news is this cure can’t come fast enough for many of the people I call friends. They need help now. Even if it’s just in the form of some financial aid.”

If you’re interested in helping make The SaltyLife magazine a reality, you can head here. When funds are raised, Pettigrew says an online version of the mag will be available here.