Community Corner

Eight-Year-Old Gymnast with Cystic Fibrosis Wins Gold at State Championship

Pleasantville's Mackenzie Adair of Chappaqua's World Cup Gymnastics is described as "determined and tenacious."

Pleasantville’s Mackenzie Adair has competed in nine gymnastic meets in the past two years, seven of which were held this year alone.

And last month, Mackenzie and her gymnastics team from Chappaqua’s World Cup Gymnastics went to the New York State championship. Competing against over 150 girls in her age group, Mackenzie won gold in beams, floor and all around state champion.

All the while, this 8-year-old Olympian hopeful suffers from a life-threatening disease: cystic fibrosis.

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Linda Adair, Mackenzie’s mother, learned about the illness while pregnant. After Adair had her blood taken, doctors told her and her husband that their unborn daughter had a 99 percent chance of having cystic fibrosis. Despite the diagnosis, Linda was hopeful that she would give birth to a fully healthy baby.

"I kept thinking while I was pregnant, ‘Oh maybe its not going to happen,’" she said.

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After Mackenzie was born, the genetics team spoke with the new parents about the disease. A week later, Mackenzie’s results were confirmed. 

"It was devastating, and really scary," Adair said. "We didn’t know anything about it. It’s still kind of one of those diseases that people don’t really know anything about."

Yet despite her ailment, Mackenzie began to show athletic promise at a young age.

At Mackenzie’s second birthday party, which was held at a local gymnasium, Linda watched as her daughter walked across the balance beam and swung from the bars. 

Shortly after this party, Mackenzie was enrolled in gymnastics classes at the Y in Rye. 

“After a couple of weeks, they told me I should go to World Cup Gymnastics, because they saw her potential,” Adair said.

Although Linda knew hardly anything about gymnastics, she signed 3-year-old Mackenzie up for the toddler program at World Cup, called Gym Gems, and was shocked at her daughter’s natural talent. 

“It was amazing, we had no idea what she was capable of,” Adair said.

Last year, Mackenzie was put on the competitive team, on the entering level (Level 4). After the state competition in June, she rose to Level 5, and within a few months mastered nearly all of the skills in order to be moved up onto Level 6. 

“Mackenzie is so determined and tenacious. If she sees one of the older girls do a move she can’t do yet, she won’t stop until she gets it. And she gets it fast,” Adair said.

When a child is on a gymnastics competitive team, their life quickly strays away from being normal. Mackenzie will be entering the fourth grade this year, but her life will still center on gymnastics.

Mackenzie practices four days a week, for three hours a day. Her practices go from 5:30 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. during the school year, forcing her forcing her to complete all of her homework and eat dinner before leaving, and showering and going to bed right when she comes home.

“She does gymnastics and sleeps,” Adair said. “That’s all she has time for really.”

Even over the summer months, Mackenzie and the team have to practice for five out of the nine weeks of summer. 

In addition to Mackenzie giving up any hint of free time, her entire family has had to make great sacrifices.

Linda and her oldest daughter, Jessica, who is entering into the sixth grade this year, are at every one of Mackenzie’s practices.

“It’s a big supportive thing because if Jess wasn’t so loving and supportive of her little sister, it wouldn’t happen because you have to give so much time and dedication to it,” Adair said. “Jess dances, and sometimes has to miss a practice because we have to take care of Mackenzie,” Adair said.

Jessica isn’t the only one giving up for Mackenzie though.

“We went away this weekend and laughed because I can’t remember the last time we weren’t here on a weekend. It was a nice break,” Adair said.

Additionally, gymnastics is a costly sport, as regular practices costs over five hundred dollars a month, and you have to pay to go to meets, pay for their uniforms, and travel expenses.

Yet, the Adair family feels that the sacrifices are worth it for Mackenzie, believing that everyday is a gift.

Today, the average lifespan for those with CF in the United States is 37 years. Yet, with Mackenzie’s case, which is on the more mild side, doctors just don’t know. 

“Everyday is new research, new discoveries. For her, they say who knows because they consider her case to be mild,” Adair said.

Yet Linda feels its important not to get caught up in the medical aspects of her child’s life.

“We don’t like to think about that, and we try to make everyday a gift for her. And not in a spoiled way. She’s definitely not spoiled kid. We’re tough on her like any other kid,” Adair said.

 When she was 3-months-old, Mackenzie was given an Eeyore toy, and has become a member of the Adair family. The family throws a birthday for Eeyore every year, decorating their house, buying a cake, and having Mackenzie invite over friends. 

“I remember one time a dad said to us, that’s just unbelievably ridiculous. But I said, ‘Everyday is a gift for her, so if there’s something a little overboard that’s going make her have a happy memory, we’re going to do that,’” Adair said.

While Mackenzie’s life revolves around her passion, gymnastics, she does have to devote time to treatments everyday.

In the morning and at night, Mackenzie has to use her inhaler, and then conduct nebulizer treatments to open up her lungs. The most important thing for children with CF is that they have clear airways, clean lungs and no mucous in their lungs. 

Additionally, Mackenzie is required to take a pulmonary function test every year, and a spirometry test every three months to keep track of her lung function. 

When it comes to CF, there are over 3000 mutations. Some cases are more severe than others, and some cases affect both the lungs and pancreas. In Mackenzie’s case, her CF issues tend to be asthma like in that she can have trouble breathing, have airway blockages and mucous can get into her lungs. 

In severe cases, kids can suffer from their lungs collapsing from being filled with mucous. It is also not uncommon for kids with CF requiring double lung transplants.

“Thankfully, I don’t think Mackenzie will ever be in that state,” Adair said. “And she’s aware that other people have it a lot worse than here. But its tough, CF is a horrible disease. And it’s amazing what she can accomplish.”

Over the course of her six years in gymnastics, Mackenzie has had only minor scares. When she’s having trouble breathing, Mackenzie’s cheeks turn bright red, and the coaches and parents know she needs her inhaler. 

“Sometimes its like dormant, like she doesn’t have it, and then it flares up. But we feel lucky because it’s easy to tell when she’s in trouble,” Adair said. 

Mackenzie’s pulmonologist is not afraid that gymnastics will put stress on her lungs though, rather, he worries about the prevalence of muscle and bone related injuries in the sport. 

“The hardest part about it is that she can’t be free. Even at the pool we have to make sure she’s breathing OK. And it's hard because she’s definitely a free spirit, strong willed, and doesn’t like to stop,” Adair said.

By looking at her, one could never guess Mackenzie deals with a life-threatening illness. Instead, Mackenzie has proved that she will not let CF define her. She is an elite gymnast, who’s immensely dedicated to her sport. 

“She’s strong and she’s passionate,” Adair said.

She even has her own rituals before every meet, including wearing her hair in a ponytail braid, eating eggs and bacon and having her parents wear specifically chosen outfits.

“She hates talking about CF, doesn’t want to think about it. She feels like its just this thing I have to do, and would rather focus on gymnastics” Adair said.

In the future, Mackenzie hopes to be in the 2020 Olympics when she’s 15-years-old, be on the gymnastics team at the University of Florida, and later in life be a gymnastics teacher or preschool teacher. 

As for her mother, Linda dreams for Mackenzie to have a long, happy and healthy life.

“We all dream for her to be healthy, and be the best she can be,” Adair said.


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