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An RT 'Great Team'  by Debra Shuler Respiratory Therapy In what one participant called “a great team effort,” the Respiratory Therapy Team raised $1,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during the Great Strides Walk on May 27. Team participants were: Debra Shuler, team leader and pediatric respiratory therapist; Charlotte Smith and Tiffany Jenkins, neonatal respiratory therapists; Mary Lester, pediatric respiratory therapist; Ken Reikofski, U.S. Navy instructor; and Sherry Lambert, grandmother to 5-year-old Tyler Lambert of Georgetown. Tyler was diagnosed shortly after birth with cystic fibrosis and transported to the MUSC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where he spent the first nine months of his life.  Others in the department who were not on the team but supported the team with their generosity were: Phyllis Watson and Tracy Condon Dupree. Respiratory therapists are specially trained in procedures essential in treating both children and adults with cystic fibrosis. Procedures such as chest physical therapy, active cyclic breathing techniques, flutter and PEP therapy, delivery of medication and many other respiratory procedures which make life easier with cystic fibrosis. They also teach patients and their families ways to make life easier for the patient.  Respiratory therapists work unnoticed and mostly in the background, but their service and knowledge are vital for their patients’ recovery and health.