Erin Thompson

I walk in support of my husband, RJ, who is the most amazing man I know. He also happens to have cystic fibrosis. We both intend on living full, happy, healthy lives, and your donations and contributions help add to each and every tomorrow we have together. He turns 39 this year - an age once thought impossible by doctors to reach. RJ was told as a teenager to not expect the normal parts of growing up we all take for granted - he wouldn't go to college, wouldn't find a career he loved, wouldn't get married, and certainly would never have a child.  This year we are not only celebrating RJ's 39 years of defying the odds, we are celebrating eleven years of married life in April and Amelia's 9th birthday in June!

This year we will be walking in the Pittsburgh walk on May 18th and we'd love for you to join us!  You can walk anywhere as a virtual walker, too!

 Help me reach or beat my fundraising goal by donating to my Great Strides fundraising campaign. Your gift will help add tomorrows to the lives of people with cystic fibrosis by supporting life-saving research and medical progress. Your gift is 100-percent tax deductible.  Any amount helps - this year, we would like donations in increments of $39, but even a $3 donation truly makes a difference!

 It is estimated that within the next five years, over 80% of CF patients will have a cure in the pipeline - RJ included!  In fact, the FDA approved a combination therapy drug that works to correct RJ's mutation in 2015! RJ began taking Symdeko in 2018 and noticed a big improvement in his quality of life!  A new, three-drug combination therapy named Trikafta was approved by the FDA in 2019 and RJ has been taking it for about three years.  Because of Trikafta, RJ's lung function is off the charts and he's been taken off of many medications! 90 cents of every dollar go to researching the cure we are SO close to!  Even with these combination therapies, there still will not be a permanent cure - unless generous people like you continue to donate and help CF = CURE FOUND!