Marla Moskowitz-Hesse

 TEAM MAX - Return to NYC 2023

We are so excited to reach out to everyone about this year’s in person walk with Team Max for Great Strides to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It is year 18 for Team Max and this year Team Max will be returning back to downtown Manhattan for the NYC 5 Borough Great Strides Walk on Saturday May 20th at Pier 84 Hudson River Park.  Registration starts at 8 and walk festivities start at 9.

As you know, our son Max was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) a few weeks after he was born. Max is now 17 years old and a High School Senior, and is an amazing kid with a thoughtful nature, beautiful heart and sweet disposition. This past year has been a great year for Max.  He continued to play football for the Stuyvesant Football team, starred in his school's SING performance, he'll be singing with his chorus at Lincoln Center in March, and he has decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America.

Through all that, Max has been battling a bacteria in his lungs since September 2016. So, in addition to all his regular treatments that we have done twice a day since he was born, Max is now on constant antibiotics. He has gone through several rounds of oral antibiotics, inhaled antibiotics, and finally IV antibiotics following a short hospital stay in January 2017. Since then he has continued on constant inhaled antibiotics - taking 2 different ones in 28 day cycles. Even with all this, he is an amazingly tough kid, with a positive attitude, a great sense of humor, and loving disposition.

We realize how lucky we are. Because of YOU and the donations that YOU have made to the CF Foundation, there are specialized anitbiotics for Max to take, that specifically attack the bacteria in CF patients. Because of YOU and the donations that YOU have made to the CF Foundation, research is continuing into additional therapies, including gene therapies to finally bring treatments to everyone with CF and hopefully, one day to bring us a cure.

Infection control and antibiotic resistance are 2 of the most important issues facing the CF community and the CF Foundation is committed to address this important issue. For someone like Max who is already facing the reduced effectiveness of antibiotics in his battle against lung infections, this fight is critical, and your donations matter!   I recently went to Washington DC to lobby Congress to pass the Pasteur Act which will create and incentivize an antibiotic pipeline - a must for Max, and for everyone in order to combat antibiotic resistance.  In addition, 10% of the population with CF still does not have access to modulators and research must continue to not only find medicine to address the symptoms but ultimately to find the cure!!

There continues to be news about improvements in antibiotics and potential treatment options that create a new world of possibilities for Max and all the other children and adults with CF. For the first time ever there are more people with CF over 18 than under 18. The median life expectancy for someone with CF born today is 53 - already 14 years longer then when Max was born, and life expectancy continues to improve. Medications, Genetic Therapies, and advancements in lung transplants are critical pieces and your support of Team Max is helping to change Max's future and the future of so many others!

This is the 18th year for Team Max and so far we've raised over $300,000 to help find a cure.  We know that times are tough and we appreciate anything you can do to continue to support Max and our family as we keep fighting this battle.

Max, and all the children and adults battling this disease, need your help. Cystic Fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects tens of thousands of children and young adults in the United States. Additionally, more than 10 MILLION Americans carry the defective gene that causes CF. Research and care supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making a huge difference in extending the quality of life for those with CF. However, we continue to lose precious lives to CF every day. That's why your help is needed now more than ever to ensure that a cure is found sooner - rather than later.

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with CF! Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation and GREAT STRIDES! We won't stop UNTIL IT'S DONE!!