More families raising children with cystic fibrosis staying in the bush

Connie Lacey, 4, and Sienna Machin, 10, are like sisters, but they are not allowed to be near each other for long.

"We're supposed to stay away from each other but we're friends, so it's hard," Sienna said.

"If we're really close to each other, we might get sick."

Both girls have cystic fibrosis (CF) and live in the outback community of Longreach, population 3,647.

Their families have known each other for years so it was bittersweet when Connie was diagnosed with CF, a few years after Sienna.

"We were the only people that the [Laceys] knew that were on the same journey," Sienna's mother, Brooke Machin

said.

"We are grateful to have someone else to understand that is close by — it can feel very lonely otherwise."

More people with CF staying rural

Despite being 1,200 kilometres from