By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MILFORD TWP. - The Hurley family's two-decade fight against a life-threatening disease has reached critical mass - and the community is responding.

Josh Hurley, 19, is being considered for a double-lung transplant that will cost $500,000 - and will exhaust his insurance coverage; his sister, Bobbi, 20, expects to face those same circumstances soon.

Both were born with cystic fibrosis (CF), which impairs breathing and digestion. The pair have lived much longer than doctors thought they would - largely because of determination to live as normally as possible. Their mother, Mary, known as "Sgt. Mom," has always insisted: "CF was not going to be our life; we were going to live life with CF."

Fiercely self-reliant, the Hurleys were reluctant to seek help with their worsening situation.

But after a relative spread the word, Hamilton Police Officer Dave Crawford set up a trust fund at Fifth Third Bank. He and others have organized a fund-raiser for Saturday.

"We're just really overwhelmed with how many people have stepped up to the plate for us. We're so thankful, but we're not used to this stuff," Mrs. Hurley said. "We're plain old ordinary people; we're blue-collar workers who have always been able to provide for our children's financial needs - and to not be able to do that was just very humbling."

Bobbi and Josh, Talawanda High graduates, enrolled at Miami University.

Bobbi's 14 prescriptions cost about $4,000 monthly; if Josh is accepted as a transplant candidate, he needs money to relocate to Cleveland and await donor lungs.

Fund-raiser for Hurleys

Sports memorabilia, including many current and former Cincinnati Bengals and Reds items, will be featured in a silent auction to raise funds for Josh and Bobbi Hurley. A fund-raiser will be from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Miami University-Hamilton's Harry T. Wilks Conference Center, 1601 Peck Blvd.

Cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple.

Beverages and appetizers will be provided while a disc jockey provides musical entertainment

Donations also may be made to the Josh and Bobbi Hurley Trust Fund at any Fifth Third Bank branch.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com