NORWALK, Iowa — 10-year-old Charlie Hugunin of Norwalk and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy have something in common: They both have "superpowers".
Purdy, for example, can sling a football down the field to open receivers for touchdowns. Charlie's superpowers, on the other hand, look a little different: She has Cystic Fibrosis.
"I think it's something really special about me, because it's really rare," Charlie said.
Cystic Fibrosis, or CF, attacks an individual's respiratory system—specifically that person's lungs—as mucus builds up and makes it difficult to breathe. Charlie's parents, Tim and Jenny, learned Charlie's diagnosis when Jenny was just 20 weeks pregnant.
"It was a little scary 10 years ago, to get that diagnosis," Jenny said. "She was six weeks early, a little 4 lb. baby. . . Her organs were all in the wrong directions."
Charlie has already faced numerous challenges: She had a feeding tube installed when she was 1 year old and has to do two breathing treatments a day.
Luckily, Charlie isn't alone. She has the support of her family, her friends.... and Purdy himself.
The former Iowa State University player helped start a fundraiser, Touchdowns for Charlie, earlier this year. The goal of the fundraiser is to help fund research to find a cure for CF.
The fundraiser works like this: Each pledge someone makes, their donation will be multiplied by the total number of touchdowns Purdy racks up during the season.
Purdy's mother came up with the fundraiser and shared the idea with her friends, Lynn and Reed Moore – Charlie's grandparents.
Purdy allowed Charlie's grandparents to use his name and likeness for the fundraiser, telling his mom, "Tell 'Aunt' Lynn that I love her."
"What I am supposed to do with my life is find a cure for this little girl," Lynn said. "If it means raising money, then that's what we're going to do."
Charlie's family is hopeful the fundraiser can not only raise money, but awareness for the disease.
"The more research is done on this disease, the closer we can get to a cure, and [Charlie] can live a more normal life," Jenny said.
In the meantime, Charlie isn't letting CF stop her from living life to the fullest. Like many other kids, she enjoys chocolate shakes and spending time with her friends at school.
"You would have no idea she has [CF] from looking at her, and it does not stop her at all," said Alex, Charlie's sister. "She is the strongest, toughest girl I know."
To donate to Touchdowns for Charlie, click here.