Our daughter, Olivia, has Cystic Fibrosis, a life shortening disease. It is our daily battle and greatest intention to keep her strong and healthy and her lungs disease free.
What is Cystic Fibrosis? CF is an inherited, life-threatening disease that has no cure – YET . People with CF have two copies of a defective gene that causes the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus, which clogs the lungs and can result in fatal lung infections. The mucus also obstructs the pancreas, causing difficulty with absorbing nutrients. In 1955, people born with CF were not expected to live long enough to attend elementary school. Today the average life expectancy for people with CF is 37. I agree that this is extraordinary progress, but it is not enough and it is not the reality we accept for our little girl.
This year, there was a significant medication, Kalydeco, approved by the FDA for a specific gene mutation that 5% of CF'ers have. It has given those in the CF community hope for our children to have full and healthy lives. We now have a medication that looks like it treats the underlying cause of the disease. There are more medications in the pipeline that will help more in the CF community, people like Olivia. We're getting so close, but close only counts in horseshoes. The answers are within our reach and we need your help now more than ever. It is your donations and support that have gotten us here.
This year, we will be walking in the Great Strides walk at Wannamaker Park on May 4, 2013. Please help me meet my fundraising goal of $3,000, by sponsoring me and/or join our team. Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively: approximately 90 cents of every dollar of revenue goes to support vital CF programs.
Making a donation is easy and secure. Just click the "Click to Donate" button on this page to make a donation that will support my team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated. Your support will help fuel lifesaving CF programs.
To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit www.cff.org.
Thank you for supporting Great Strides! Together, we can make a difference and “add tomorrows” to the lives of those with CF.
Courtney Neal is taking strides to make "CF" stand for "Cure Found!" Visit Courtney's Great Strides Home Page at http://www.cff.org/great_strides/OliviaNeal! NOTE: If link looks broken, cut and paste ENTIRE link into address bar. If you are presented with a "Find A Walker" page, enter Courtney's first and last name and click on "Find Walker." Then click "View Walker" in the results list to go to "Courtney Neal's Great Strides Home Page."
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