Boomer Esiason Donates $50K To CF Research

Photo Rose Albergo (L. to r.): Former NFLquarterback and sports commentator Boomer Esiason, Maria Ricardo and Nicola (Nick) Mossa, host of the Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation second annual benefit dinner at Trattoria L'Incontro, Astoria, with Christopher Ricardo.

Guests crowded into Trattoria L'Incontro Monday night to attend the second annual benefit dinner of the Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, hosted by Nicola (Nick) Mossa. The foundation, a nonprofit organization comprised of family, friends and business leaders, is dedicated to raising financial support for research aimed at finding a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF), advancing education and awareness of the disease and enhancing the quality of life for those living with it every day. Christopher Ricardo was diagnosed with CF in April 2004, shortly before his third birthday.

Attending the party was Long Island native Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason, who contributed $50,000 to CF research in honor of Christopher Ricardo. Among the most prolific left-handed quarterbacks in National Foot- ball League (NFL) history, who played with the Cincinnati Bengals (1984-1992, 1997), the New York Jets (1993-1995) and the Arizona Cardinals (1996). After his retirement, Esiason went into broadcasting. He was hired by the Westwood One radio network to become the analyst for radio broadcasts of Monday Night Football games and also currently serves as an in-studio analyst for The NFLToday on the CBS television network and hosts The Boomer Esiason Show on the Madison Square Garden Network.

Esiason with Rocco Sacramone, owner of Trattoria L'Incontro.

In 1993, Esiason's two-year-old son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with CF. Esiason formed a charity to help fund CF research and raise awareness and later with John Sawyer, a co-founder of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise and the chairman of Sawyer Industries, formed a company to sell what came to be called Boomer's Products To Fight Cystic Fibrosis. Proceeds from sales go to CF research.

CF, a fatal genetic disease, affects many body organs, but most symptoms have to do with the lungs and digestion. CF causes a defect in one of a patient's chromosomes, leading to the production of abnormally thick mucus that primarily affects the lungs, leading to an increased incidence of lung infections, and the pancreas, leading to malabsorption of food and malnutrition. CF affects more than 30,000 Americans today; an additional 12 million Americans- approximately one in 23- unknowingly carry only one gene and are unaffected by the disease.