My CF Climb Story
Theo Johnny and Ava Constance
Many of you know that my brother, John, is one of 700,000 people worldwide battling CF. When John was born 34 years ago, doctors told my parents he would be lucky to live past middle school.
Those who know John see him as the smart, funny, and talented guy he is. Most have no idea what he goes through every second of every day to simply breathe. For John and everyone living with this disease, CF stands for constant fight.
We hope you’ll join us in the CF Climb this coming week to support the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) providing life-saving treatments and support for people living with CF. We have a fabulous team (Shut Up, Legs!) of family and friends, and this year you can climb with us at Coors Field on Thursday, July 27 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
If you can't climb with us but want to support financially, we would be honored and grateful. All funds are 100% tax-deductible and go to the CFF, the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The CFF is renowned in the medical community. Compared to illnesses like cancer and diabetes that affect millions, CF is considered a relatively “small disease” that wouldn’t traditionally attract investment attention from the big pharmaceutical companies and top researchers that make life-changing treatments possible.
The CFF’s remarkable work was showcased in a big way last fall when the FDA approved a revolutionary new medicine for John and 90% of people living with CF that targets the underlying cause of CF. It’s the “single greatest therapeutic advancement” in the history of the disease. Despite the many obstacles the CFF faced, in the three decades since the genetic cause of CF was discovered (1989, the same year John was born), they developed a treatment that has “effectively transformed a genetic disease in a single generation, making CF the greatest story in medicine” (Dr. Michael Boyle, CEO of the CFF).
Since John started this treatment a couple of years ago, his coughing has gone down, his weight has gone up, and at his most recent check-up, his lungs showed no bacterial growth of two dangerous and potentially life-threatening infections for the first time in decades (10 years for one and 20 years for the other). This is truly one of the closest things we’ll see in our lifetime to a medical miracle…until the CFF completes its mission and CF stands for cure found.
We hope you’ll join us and thank you so much for your time and support!
Ally and Mickey
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