Jonathon Brown never thought he would go to college.
“I dropped out of high school my junior year because I just didn’t want to be there anymore,” said Brown, sophomore mechanical engineering major. “I had no plans of ever going back to school.”
Brown, originally from Memphis, Tenn., was born with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. One of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases in the United States, cystic fibrosis causes thick, sticky mucus to collect in the lungs and the pancreas. The mucus blocks the airway and can make breathing difficult, as well as provide an environment for bacteria to grow, causing frequent lung infections.
Treatment for the disease is a lifelong commitment.
“I get up in the morning and I do my breathing treatments […] which basically means I open my lungs, put medicine in, and then close them back up with a solution, which can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each morning,” Brown said. “I also swim five days a week as a part of my treatment, which adds some more time.”
Brown’s commitment to his treatments just earned him the Boomer Esiason Sacks for Cystic Fibrosis scholarship for $10,000 for the second year in a row, and he is using it to fund his studies at Seattle University.
“The money definitely helps out a lot,” Brown said. “It sort of changed everything.”
The Boomer Esiason Foundation was founded by the NFL Quarterback it was named for, whose son Gunnar was born with cystic fibrosis. The foundation was created with the goal of discovering a cure for the disease while supporting those living with it.
Jerry Cahill, who manages the scholarship programs at the Foundation and serves as a volunteer director. He helped select Brown out of a pool of applicants for the award.
“We want to pick people who are committed to their treatments, and who are living, breathing, and succeeding with CF,” said Cahill, who himself is living with the disease. “Jonathon really demonstrated all of those things– he works really hard in all aspects of his life.”
Brown has kept himself busy since moving to Seattle from Memphis four years ago due to the University of Washington’s CF program.
“I started bartending full time at Il Fornaio, the Italian restaurant downtown, as well as taking classes at Seattle Central [Community College] because […] I thought it was about time I made a change in my life,” Brown said.
On top of working full time as a bartender and studying full time, Brown consistently attends treatment sessions and swims five days per week at his doctor’s suggestion.
“Jonathon doesn’t use CF as an excuse,” Cahill said. “He succeeds despite having so much on his plate, which I think is really great.”
Brown transferred to Seattle U at the beginning of fall quarter to pursue a mechanical engineering degree, something he learned he loved after taking physics classes at Seattle Central. Because of the money he has received from the Boomer Esiason Foundation, Brown was able to quit his bartending job recently, which relieved his doctors.
“They were always saying I had too many ‘full-time jobs’ as they called it,” Brown said. Due to his character though, Brown wasn’t able to keep from being busy for too long.
“If you’re busy for a long time and then you take part of the load off, you kind of feel lazy,” Brown said. After using his newfound free time to watch lots of “Dexter” and “Boston Legal,” Brown decided to look for an internship.
Brown now works as a paid intern at Electroimpact, in Mukilteo, an aerospace design and manufacturing company.
“It’s only 15 hours a week, so it’s not full time, but it keeps me busy and it’s something I really do enjoy,” Brown said.
His newest project has him experimenting with drilling parameters on airplane materials for Airbus.
“It’s kind of a second lease on life,” Brown said. “Instead of just going to work, I’m doing something I really love.”
Kelton may be reached at ksears@su-spectator.com.
How an NFL QB funds this student's education
Living, breathing and succeeding, Jonathon Brown fights cystic fibrosis
Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
 "Photo: Sonya Ekstrom | The Spectator")
Sonya Ekstrom | The Spectator
Jonathon Brown was recently awarded a scholarship by the Boomer Esiason Foundation for cystic fibrosis.
1 comments