Julie Dryer

Alex was born on 7/7/2010 at 7lbs. 11oz. We called him lucky 7s (how cool is it to have so many 7s on your birthday???) Everything was perfect….until it wasn’t.

Shortly after his birth, Alex lost a little weight…not completely out of the norm for newborn. Another week later, after a lot of feeding and pooping, Alex was still having difficulty gaining weight—weird. Then came his next weight in…he gained half a pound! The doctor then pulled us into an examination room  to review the results of his newborn screening. He informed us that Alex tested positive for Cystic Fibrosis.

As the doctor started to explain Cystic Fibrosis...my mind went in another direction.  "My baby is beautiful and he looks healthy...how could he be sick?"  "I've heard of Cystic Fibrosis before...doesn't Boomer Esiason's son have that?"  "The test must be wrong...right?"  I tuned in and out of what the doctor was saying and everything I did hear brought more questions..."Did he just say that children are dying from CF?"  "But it's come a long way and several are living to their 40s"...Am I supposed to be happy that my son can live until his 40s?  

The fact is that 13 years ago, there was a lot that was unknown about Cystic Fibrosis and there is still a lot that is unknown.  Each year we get more educated and have more opportunities to help keep this disease from progressing faster.   We've made made huge strides towards helping those live with the disease and we are still making those strides today!  

There are approximately 30,000 Americans living with cystic fibrosis. They are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, friends and co-workers who struggle every day just to breathe. I walk for them and hope you will support me in my efforts.

Real progress has been made in the search for a cure, but the lives of people with CF are still cut far too short. There still is no cure for this devastating disease. By walking today, I am helping add tomorrows to the lives of people living with cystic fibrosis. Will you join me? Support me by making a donation to my Great Strides fundraising campaign today!

Great Strides is a fun, family-friendly event that raises awareness and support for people with CF and their families.

Please support me!

Help me reach 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.