A slam dunk for cystic fibrosis in Saskatoon

Athletes of all ages laced up their basketball shoes for a good cause on Saturday.

Sections of the Market Mall parking lot in Saskatoon were blocked off to host Hoops for Hope a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research and care.

"Our son, Dominic, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was a month old," said co-founder and former Huskies basketballathlete Shaun Nechvatal.

Shortlyafter receiving the news,Nechvataland his wife,Katarina, came up with the three-on-threebasketball tournamentfundraiser based on Nechvatal's long history with the sport.

Over the past four years, Hoops for Hope has raised close to $90,000.

This year, there were over 40 teams taking part. To raise money, each team paid a small registration fee, andraised pledges and donations for the cause.

Nechvatal said his eldest daughter, Ava, raised over $1,500 on her own in pledges.

With the help of theHuskies men's and women's basketballteams, this was the fifth year for the fundraiser.

Behind the scenes

Dominic is nearly 7-years-old now.

The disorder has beenaffecting his lungs. It's also taking a toll on his pancreas.

"He doesn't produce enzymes like everybody else does to digest food properly, so he has to take enzymes for anything and everything he eats or drinks," said Nechvatal.

"Fortunately for Dominic, he hasn't known any different. We've been [keeping up with medications] since he was a month old. He [asks] when we go camping, 'Hey, do you have my enzymes?' Or we'd go out to watch the Huskies play and he'd say right away, 'How much fat is in french fries? How many enzymes do I need with this?'" added Nechvatal.