FIGHTING FOR A CURE GRIEVING DAD STILL BATTLING CYSTIC FIBROSIS.

Byline: Amy Raisin  Staff Writer

VALENCIA - It was more than 30 years ago that cystic fibrosis claimed the life of 3-year-old Cherilyn Gump, but the memory of saying goodbye stills brings tears to her father's eyes.

``When you walk in and your little girl has gone to sleep for the last time, that never leaves you,'' said Barry Gump, pausing to compose himself in his office Friday. ``As hard as it was, for her sake, I was glad she wouldn't suffer anymore.''

Hoping for a cure in his lifetime, Gump, president and CEO of Santa Clarita-based Andy Gump, and his family will attend the annual Great Strides walk Sunday at Valencia Meadows Park, 25671 Fedala Road, to raise money for medical research into and treatment of the disease.

Registration will start at 9 a.m., followed by the start of the 10K walk at 10 a.m.

Cystic fibrosis causes sufferers to produce a sticky, abnormally thick mucus that collects in the lungs and often hinders pancreatic function, blocking essential enzymes needed for healthy digestion. Medical advancements have allowed patients to live longer, but the disease, on average, claims half of sufferers before the age of 31.

Barry and Pati Gump's second child was not yet 2 when Cherilyn died. Now a 34-year-old mother of three, Nancy Gump Melancon remembers the humidifying tent under which her older sister slept every night.

``I always knew I had a sister,'' said Melancon, who works in the company started by her grandfather, Andy Gump. ``My parents were always very honest with me. What I admire most about them is they always try to look at the blessings.''

Recalling the mist tent that enveloped his first-born every night - while the theory is no longer popular, experts then believed constant moisture helped loosen the mucus - Gump managed to find a blessing in Cherilyn's passing.

``I remember thinking the day she died that she didn't have to wake up soaking wet anymore,'' said Gump, 60. ``The race (for a cure) isn't over and we're running as fast as we can. There probably aren't too many things in my life that would be more fulfilling'' than finding a cure for the disease that claimed his daughter.

Gump sits on the boards of both the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the organization's Los Angeles chapter.

For information about participating in the Great Strides walk, or to make a donation, go to www.cff.org or call [phone].

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(color) Barry Gump, with daughter Nancy Gump Melancon, has been fund-raising since his older daughter, Cherilyn, 3, in portrait, died of cystic fibrosis more than 30 years ago. The two will participate in this weekend's fund-raiser.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer