Abbey Mitchell, 18, a freshman at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, does some homework before cross country practice on Friday. Mitchell has Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening disease where mucus builds up in the lungs and digestive tract and as part of her treatment, she wears a “therapy vest” twice a day that shakes her body and loosens up the mucus in her lungs. She says she has gotten used to the shaking, but it is often tiring.

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