What happens when the heart becomes part of the cystic fibrosis story?

In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker welcome cardiologists Evan Manning, MD and Mark Harvey, MD to discuss the connection between cystic fibrosis and cardiovascular health. CF care has historically centered on the lungs, but as people with CF live longer, what have we overlooked about the organ sitting right next door?

Together, we explore how inflammation, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and CFTR modulator therapy can affect heart health, why people with CF may face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and what symptoms shouldn’t be ignored.

We also talk about plaque, medication interactions, the importance of knowing your numbers, and why sometimes the best place to start is with the basics. As people with CF are living longer, what do we know about protecting the heart—and what are we still trying to figure out?

Also: Dr. Dad on the dance floor, the heart as a next-door neighbor, and, you AORTA know, a hearty amount of heart puns.

Welcome to the first episode of “Salty Stories”, our new recurring series featuring three voices from the cystic fibrosis community. Each episode explores a different theme. The only rule? CF has to be part of the story.

We’re kicking things off with “First Dates”, naturally.

What if the future you spent your entire life preparing not to have suddenly became possible?

In this episode, Ahmet Uluer, DO, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker welcome journalist, war correspondent, and author Will Cathcart, who lives with cystic fibrosis, to discuss his debut novel, This Is How People Die—a literary thriller that blends espionage, romance, and cystic fibrosis into an unforgettable exploration of survival.

Together, we explore how Will transformed the realities of growing up with CF into fiction, why survivor's guilt and the CFTR modulator era became central themes in the novel, and how those experiences continue to shape his work around the world and his ongoing fight for equitable access to CF modulators.

Also: Anthony Bourdain, Bob Flanagan, and the Gullah legend of the Haint.