SEATTLE -- As they ascend farther and farther up the 1,120 steps of what used to be called the WAMU Tower -- their legs burning, their lungs gasping -- even the biggest-hearted climbers might find themselves needing a gentle reminder why they're putting themselves through it all.

Seattle Pacific crew coach Keith Jefferson won't need a reminder. His will be right on his back, climbing along with him, and cheering him on.

Jefferson, who coached the SPU women's varsity eight to a third-place finish in last spring's NCAA Division II championships, will start climbing at 6 p.m.

Emma, a kindergartener at Lawton Elementary near the base of Magnolia, was born with CF, which primarily affects the lungs. But because it was diagnosed even before her birth, the Jeffersons and their doctors have been able to stay ahead of it.

Maintaining that head start -- and helping the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation generate funds so researchers can continue their work to help not only Emma, but those who haven't been as fortunate as the Jeffersons -- is what keeps Keith climbing, with Emma riding along in a backpack-style carrier.

“It helps the people who make my medicine,” Emma said in a well thought-out reply when asked why people should consider donating to the cause. “It helps us grow.”

She certainly is growing. Two years ago when Emma and Keith climbed the first time, she was 40 inches tall and weighed 42 pounds. Last year, he would have been carrying a 42-inch, 48-pounder with him -- except Emma came down with a 101-degree fever on the day of the climb, so had to stay home. (Keith made the climb anyway, toting his training pack with 50 pounds of sand.)

Now, she measures up at 45 inches and tips the scale at 51 pounds. And like any 5-year-old, with or without CF, sitting around isn't her idea of fun.

“I have lots of balls. I throw the basketball and I put it in the net,” Emma said. “I throw the football and I kick the soccer ball. And I like to run.”

While Keith has been preparing for the climb with his weighted training pack, Emma was sounding just a tad skeptical that her daddy could make it all the way to the top with her.

“I'm 5 now. I'm big,” she said, looking toward Keith with a smile.

In fact, Jefferson said, this might be Emma's last year of riding along. She completed the four-mile Greatstrides walk this past May, and he says she just might be ready to try those steps -- or at least some of them -- herself next year.

Jefferson -- who, by the way, isn't the least bit skeptical about making it all the way to the top with her -- recalled with a laugh his inaugural climb in 2007 when Emma, then 3, was making her best effort at cheerleading.

“She kept saying, 'Almost there, Papa, almost there.' And at one point, I had to say, 'No, honey, we're not almost there.' ”

NOT AT THE FINISH LINE YET
The race to find a cure for CF isn't almost there, either. But it's much farther along than it was even at the time of last year's climb, which Jefferson completed in 12 minutes, 37 seconds. His E-Team raised $6,900 of the $161,829 that the event generated, exceeding its goal of $150,000 in what was a tough year for fundraising because of the economic downturn. 

Jefferson is quick to point out that it's money well spent.

“It's very encouraging. The success of one (research) project was profound. It's called a corrector cure, and it's correcting the gene flaw at the cellular level,” Jefferson said. “That was huge.

“There are 28 or so different drugs in the testing pipeline,” he added. “Some are in the second phase, a few are in the third phase.” (The FDA approval process has three formal testing phases, and there are also numerous pre-clinical trials, in most cases.)

The fight hasn't been without its setbacks. One company was working on a similar corrector cure, but its product its been turned down twice by the FDA. Undaunted, that company has kept at it.

“They're sending some of their heavy hitters to D.C. to make a presentation to the panel in early December,” Jefferson said. “I hope we'll see some positive things come out of that.”

In the meantime, there's a climb to make on Thursday. Jefferson is ready for it.

So is Emma. Asked if she'll help keep count of the steps, she thought for a moment, looked over at Keith, then looked back and said, “No -- there are too many. I can't really count to a hundred.”

That's OK. Her daddy can count to a hundred. In fact, he can count all the way to 1,120.

What Emma is counting on is a pledge of support.

“I want to say, 'Can you help me and my daddy?'” she said, and then quickly added, “Thank you for helping.”