Trey's Tribe

Trey’s Tribe IS BACK for our fifth year of Great Strides with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Great Strides is a fun event that provides a fantastic opportunity for family and friends to come together to make a difference in the lives of people with CF. Join our team and help us get one step closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis!

What is CF?

Cystic fibrosis (or CF) is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. There are close to 40,000 children and adults living with cystic fibrosis in the United States (and an estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries), and CF can affect people of every racial and ethnic group.

In people with CF, mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause the CFTR protein to become dysfunctional. When the protein is not working correctly, it’s unable to help move chloride — a component of salt — to the cell surface. Without the chloride to attract water to the cell surface, the mucus in various organs becomes thick and sticky.

And who is this Trey guy, anyway?

Trey is a loving, energetic, funny and very handsome four year old. He loves spending most of his time outside, playing with friends and family, and has entered the dinosaur-obsessed phase of his life.

We’ve known Trey has CF since before he was even born – genetics are fascinating. So is CF. It’s also a rollercoaster. Treatments, medications, and therapies are continually changing. And lately they’ve been changing for the better and less frequent! Trey has been fortunate enough to be eligible to take a prescription drug called Kalydeco, a genetic modulator that targets the underlying CFTR protein.

We’re asking for your support!

The CF Foundation funded the research that led to the discovery of genetic modulators like Kalydeco. But we aren’t stopping until there is a cure. A cure for Trey, and so many more.

(shoutout to our CF pals Flynn, Wyatt, Norah, Leo and Abby!!)

1. Join our team and help fundraise!
   Our team will be meeting up IN-PERSON on June 3, 2023 on the National Mall for the Washington, DC Great Strides event and we’d love for as many people to join us as possible! Click “Join our team” to register yourself and family members.
2. And/Or Make a donation
   If you aren’t able to join us in-person, we hope that you’ll consider making a donation to Trey’s Tribe. You can do this by clicking on any team member name and then selecting “Make a donation.”
3. And/Or Spread awareness
   While approximately 1 in 26 Americans are CF carriers, most people have no idea they are even a carrier. Simply sharing our message can go a long way in raising awareness of, and eventually finding the cure to, cystic fibrosis.