Teri Kindelmann

Why are we raising fund?

We are raising funds for Matison (13 years old) and Charlotte (11 years old) who suffer everyday with cystic fibrosis. Even though they look like they are fine and just like everyone else, their lives are completely different from a normal child. When both girls wake up, they have to do 3 nebulizer treatments, each lasting 10 minutes long followed by 2 inhalers. While they are doing these treatments, they are also hooked up to The VEST. This is a machine that shakes their lungs to try and break the mucus caught in their lungs up. They do this routine again in the afternoon, usually after school. Then every other month they have to add an additional nebulizer treatment to their routine. Every time the girls eat, they must take 5 enzymes so their bodies can break down the food and hold onto the key nutrients.

When regular treatments are not enough, that means hospital stays or procedures. During Mati's life, she has spent numerous days in the hospital, has had 6 PICC lines inserted so that she did not have to stay in the hospital while she received IV antibiotics, 1 bronchoscope, and a feeding tube placed in her stomach. The feeding tube was placed when she was 5 years old because she had trouble gaining weight because of this disease.

Even though the girls have the same mutation, they have different symptoms. Charlie has spent numerous days in the hospital, has had 6 PICC lines, 5 bronchoscopes, surgery on her trachea, and removal of her adenoids. Then the biggest surgery to date, the removal of the right upper lobe of her lung.

Together, let’s make CF stand for Cure Found!