This is the final installment of a five-part series. First read Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 to get caught up.
Correction: The text about tests that can be done 10 weeks into pregnancy was changed to clarify the difference between CVS—an invasive test that is available now and can determine whether a fetus has CF—and non-invasive tests that look for cffDNA, genetic material from the fetus circulating in the mother’s blood. There is not currently a test that uses cffDNA to determine if a fetus has CF; the research and development is in progress.
Lauren R. Weinstein is a cartoonist, cartooning teacher, and avid gardener who lives in scenic Maplewood, New Jersey. She is currently working on a teenage memoir entitled How to Draw a Nose.