CF Cruisers unite! The 2024 Great Strides-Eau Claire Walk will take place on May 18th. This is an amazing time in CF research as medications that can modulate the defective cells in CF are becoming available for even the very youngest people with CF. This can prevent the long-term damaging effects of CF on the organs that are affected until we have a cure.
As parents of adults with CF we feel the urgency for more discoveries in research, not only for a cure, but for therapies that treat complications that people living with CF struggle with. Complications like chronic inflammation, GI issues, infection, and advanced lung disease. This year we will gather for the 4K event that gives people like our daughters, Rachel and Geralyn, hope and encouragement.
We are looking forward to that exciting day when CF stands for Cure Found!
When our daughters were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in the 1980's we were quickly referred to the UW-Madison CF Center. There they received excellent pediatric care for CF until they reached adulthood. In their childhood the gene was discovered that causes CF. That allowed scientists to direct their research toward medications and therapies that target the defect in CF. Today Geralyn and Rachel are 38 and 35 years old and receive high-quality, specialized care at U of MN. We know that the life-changing care and medications available to them wouldn't be possible without the funds raised in events like Great Strides. Even though they have the same genetic mutation they do not have the same response or tolerance to the new CF treatments. Other people with different genetic mutations cannot benefit at all. So the work is not done.
Rachel and Geralyn have a good quality of life but we still need a cure. They work hard to maintain their health but the burden of CF is real. The goal is to have a life free from a daily multitude of medications and time-intensive treatments and advanced disease. We need your help to make this dream come true.
Join us on May 18th. Register online today. If you can't join us, please support our team, CF Cruisers, with an online donation. Every person deserves a life free from illness, a life full of joy.
Thank you,
Maria and Gerry Brantner
Members of Eau Claire Great Strides
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IMPORTANT NOTE ON ATTENDANCE AT FOUNDATION EVENTS:
Updated July 5th, 2023
The CF Foundation is committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of individuals attending Foundation events. Individuals attending CF Foundation events must abide by the Foundation's Event Attendance Policy www.cff.org/attendancepolicy, which includes guidance for event attendees living with cystic fibrosis.