Shari Cagle

From the looks of it, Sarah is just a normal 12 year old girl. She likes to laugh, play and have fun. She is in 7th grade this year and loves being on her school cheer team. Underneath all of that, a disease called Cystic Fibrosis (CF) that wreaks havoc on her little body.

She was born with CF and lived with the symptoms for almost 7 months before she was diagnosed with it on February 8, 2012. The diagnosis came after months of extensive testing and multiple doctors deliberating over her case.

Cystic Fibrosis is a very serious, life threatening and debilitating disease that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. It affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. These secreted fluids are normally thin and slippery. But in cystic fibrosis, a defective gene causes the secretions to become thick and sticky. Instead of acting as a lubricant, the secretions plug up tubes, ducts and passageways, especially in the lungs and pancreas.

Since being diagnosed, her life has changed drastically. She has a daily regimen of chest physiotherapy, which means she uses a vest that shakes her whole body for up to 30 minutes to break up mucus in her lungs twice a day, and nebulizer treatments that last between 25 minutes- 1.5 hours long that she also do twice a day. When she gets sick with a cold or other respiratory illness she has to do them a lot more than that. Also, before she eats anything she has to take enzyme pills that help her body to absorb the nutrients from her food since CF doesn't allow her pancreas to work normally.

Sarah most wants to be just like everyone else and not have to spend hours doing treatments and weeks in the hospital. You can help by donating to help find her a cure.

Please support me!

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of cystic fibrosis and your support matters. Your gift will help add tomorrows to the lives of people with cystic fibrosis by supporting groundbreaking research and medical progress towards a cure. Please help me reach my fundraising goal!