VOL. 52 ISSUE 26 JUNE 30, 2015 P117
MEET JOSH SERNE, ONE OF THE LATEST YOUNG
ROAD RACERS TO COME OUT OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA WHO FACES A UNIQUE CHALLENGE
WHAT'S
STOPPING YOU?
BY ANDREA WILSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON
AND BRIAN J. NELSON
A
thletes are different from normal
people. It's not just the skill set they
possess for their specific sport—it's
a mental thing. That unique ability to not
let something get in your way to meet
your end goal.
One of Northern California's up-and-
coming road racers, Josh Serne, is no
exception. The newly turned 17 year old
from Placerville, California is a normal
young road racer, but faces a different
obstacle—Cystic Fibrosis.
While many have heard of the disease
as a result of awareness raised by ce-
lebrities like footballer Boomer Esiason
(and in motorcycle racing, Broc Glover)
many may still need to Google it to know
exactly what it entails.
"I have Cystic Fibrosis, which is a ge-
netic lung disease that fills my lungs with
mucus and then it makes it harder for me
to breathe," Serne explained. "I have to
do 2-3 treatments a day and do breath-
ing treatments, and I have to take pills
because it also affects the pancreas."
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic
disease that can have some pretty seri-
ous health implications that can cause
a pretty low life expectancy. Thankfully
the advancements in treatments over the
years have doubled the life expectancy
and have helped the quality of life for
those who suffer from it.
Still, that doesn't make it easy. And
its not a far stretch to understand why
maybe someone would find it a bit too
much to keep active in a competitive
sport, except if you're a racer.
Like most racers these days, Serne
started young.
"I've been racing since I was four and a
half years old," he said. "I do Supermoto
