My family is from Colorado and I went to school at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, so obviously I wasn't too concerned about staying close to home. Emory does have a CF center on campus, however, which was a consideration for me. It also was super convenient, because I could live in the dorms, etc, and still make clinic appts in between classes. Especially my first year, when I didn't have a car, that was definitely helpful.
CF is a logistically difficult disease to manage: insurance, appointments, prescriptions, treatments, etc. Even so, the fact of the matter is CFers do eventually need to step oup to the plate and take control of their own disease. This means everything from going to a doctor without his/her parents to remembering to set his/her alarm extra early to get in those morning treatments. And tempting as it is to say that CFers should stay close to home so that parents can help them stay healthy, the fact of the matter is college is a great time to transfer that control. At least, that's my own opinion, and experience.
There are advatanges to in-state colleges that go beyond CF (tuition, etc), but I would say do NOT limit your CFer's college search because of his or her disease. If anything, I know for me that only would have made me upset and indignant, whereas with making my own choice I felt empowered and responsible. I would encourage the student to keep in mind that he or she will be personally responsible for getting to doctor's appointments regardless of distance or convenience. I would also have a really frank discussion about the added responsibilities of managing CF away from mom, and make sure you have a "plan" of sorts for what will happen if, for example, a tune-up is needed. Overall, I think going away to college can be a really positive experience, and even if your CFer stays close to home I would encourage on-campus living.
