Like his creator, superhero 'Pathway' overcomes cystic fibrosis

MANGO, Fla. - A new superhero is about to bound onto the scene, and a Bay Area man is behind the character.

The superhero is named “Pathway.” In everyday life, he is a scientist with cystic fibrosis who is researching the debilitating lung disease. When necessary, he transforms into his alter ego.

“He uses what would normally be considered weaknesses to his advantage,” Jeremiah Stemple, who came up with the concept, told FOX 13. “His weapons shoot nebulized air in hard balls, which is nebulizer treatments.”

Jeremiah and his brother, Josh, were both diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as kids. Jeremiah has a love for Renaissance Fairs and Comic-Con, which fed into the birth of Pathway.

“I’ve always been a kind of writer, creative person, and one day I just decided to do more to help people like myself, and it was kind of something that popped into my head, and I ran with it."

“It ended up getting bigger than I thought it would,” he said with a laugh.

He has the drive to see Pathway take off, but not the money. That’s where Colton Underwood, a former NFL player and member of the cast on the shows “The Bachelor” and the “Bachelorette” came in.

Jeremiah contacted the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation, which focuses on cystic fibrosis. The foundation wrote a check to print the first Pathway comic book.

“It’s going to give so many people with cystic fibrosis hope and a feeling of empowerment,” said Rachel Rockhold, a foundation spokesperson.

LINK: You can learn more about Pathway by going to pathwaycfsuperhero on Facebook and Instagram.