Aaron Chidekel

Happy Pre-Halloween!

Next week is NACFC, the North American CF Conference, and another improtant milestone and highlight of the academic year. I have been attending NACFC since 1996 and have only missed the Conference on one occasion when I had to stay back for other work related responsibilities at Nemours. Not a bad record, but not quite a streak either!

One year, we were on the last flight into New Orleans due to the pending arrival of hurricane Lily, and poignantly in 2001, we drove to Orlando to attend NACFC since so many of us were not quite ready to get back on an airplane. It has been amazing to be a part of and to experience the growth of the Conference in its size and scope. The first year I atttended NACFC, it was held at a hotel! Now, the Conference takes up an entire convention center. Even the virtual format has seemed expansive due to the wealth and breadth of material presented.

One of the other amazing aspects of the Conference is its truly inclusive and multidisciplinary nature. There is truly something for every member of the Care Team including family members and the meeting content is enriched by the perspective of the entire Care Team. I couldn't be prouder of our Care Team this year and all of our contributions to the Conference. We have a number of posters and oral presentations and team members will be serving as session moderators as well. Just about every member of our Care Team from our trainees to our seasoned team members will be contributing. I look forward to providing the details in my post next month!   

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September has flown by with all of the excitement of kids returning to school, my own included, and with the coming of the change of seasons. My daughter Hannah returned to school this year and has started her graduate work towards a Masters in Public Health. Hannah has been living in Boston and working in public health since graduating from Brandeis University a few years ago. My son Philip is back at Penn State continuing his graduate work towards a Masters in Aerospace Engineering, and Jonathan is back at Skidmore College where he is a senior.

While it was nice to spend the extra time with our kids due to the changes in the structure of work and education during the pandemic, we are also glad that they will be able to return to their academic homes, which is truly where they should be. We are relieved that they are vaccinated and that young people, even our young patients with CF, are mostly spared from the severe complications of COVID-19. While nothing is 100%, the data remain reassuring even for youth with CF and good overall health. I know that the process of leaving for or returning to school this fall has been extra stressful for everyone and our CF Team is so proud of the courage and determination that has been shown. We have had so many young people from Center head off or return to college this fall in particular, and near or far, we remain available to help with and support this important transition.

Although today is the last day of the month, it is timely that I am writing this today. Our Care Team was notified just yesterday that we have been selected for a CF Foundation Outstanding Partnership Award. The concept of the Care Team was pioneered by the CF Foundation, realizing that it truly takes a team to provide the best and most comprehensive care in the setting of a chronic illness, and I am proud of our Team, our current and past members, and all that we have achieved. The growth and development of the Care Team model and the support of each of its multidisciplinary members has been a critical part of the CF Foundation mission since its founding and our Care Team's partnership with the CFF is a critical part of our work, whether it be in patient care, research or education and together we have continued to make Great Strides.

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It is hard to imagine that I have been a part of the CF Community in the Delaware Valley for 25 years! I started my career in Pediatric Pulmonology at the CF Center at the duPont Hospital for Children in the summer of 1996 after completing my residency and fellowship training, and it has been a privilege to have spent this time working at Nemours and collaborating with the Delaware Valley Chapter of the CF Foundation. As this calendar year marks this important milestone for me personally and professionally, I thought it only appropriate to do something to show my continued commitment to a Community that has been such a meaningful part of my life. Between now and May, to coordinate with Great Strides, I will be making monthly donations and posts to recognize some of the important events, both current and past, that have been impactful to me along the way. While it is clearly important to reflect on the ground covered, it is the trail ahead that matters the most. Hopefully my comments and donations will inspire others to join me in supporting CF clinical care, research and advocacy as I continue along this path. While at times in the past, the trail was rough and progress was slow, to borrow a phrase, we have made Great Strides together to improve the health and lives of people living with CF and I truly believe that the future has never been brighter. I am proud to continue to be a partner in this effort. This month’s donation is in honor of a wedding I attended earlier this month of a former patient, and I can’t think of a better event to represent the progress that has been made over the past quarter century. When I started my training in CF care, there were few, if any adult CF Care Centers and we at the Pediatric Center where I was training, provided all of the care to people with CF of any age. We had adult CF patients admitted to our adolescent floor. Now, thanks to advances in research, clinical care and advocacy, there is a parallel and robust network of adult CF Care Centers full of adults with CF living longer and stronger lives.

See you in September!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

There are approximately 30,000 Americans living with cystic fibrosis. They are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, and friends who struggle every day just to breathe. I walk for them. Will you join me and support my fundraising goal?

Real progress has been made for those who have CF, but there is still no cure for this devastating disease and many lives are cut far too short. We’ve come so far, but there’s still so much work to do. I will not stop striding until all those with cystic fibrosis have a cure. We will not leave anyone behind.  

Please support me!

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of cystic fibrosis and your support matters. With your help, we can invest our resources in research today, while raising funds for tomorrow, to ensure we have what it takes to reach the finish line. Together, we can make CF stand for Cure Found. Please help me reach my fundraising goal!