Hello Friends and Family!

It's 2024, which means we are on year 13 for Deaner and Great Strides. Every day and every dollar we are getting closer to a cure. Our Team Dean-O-Mite Great Strides team has raised $119,016 since we started fundraising in 2012. We could not have done this without the help and generosity of our friends and family! THANK YOU! Much has changed over the last almost 13 years and the majority of that is directly related to the four drugs which are currently available to treat the underlying CAUSE of CF in just over 90% of the CF population. 

These advancements and changes are amazing and helping so many with CF. In March of 2024 Dean will have been taking Trikafta for two full years! It still seems crazy to us that he has been approved to take this medicine as we didn't expect it to happen for years to come. As great as this is for Dean and many others, we know we are not done yet. We are not at 100%. We will not stop all those living with CF have a CURE. To make that happen, we will continue to fundraise, ask for support, attend events, and advocate with our legislators. 

As Dean is getting older, he is starting to become more aware of what CF means for him. I asked Dean to share some thoughts with all of you:

CF impacts thousands of people's daily lives and the CF Foundation strives to lower that number every day. One of those thousands of people is me. From my experience, CF can be very frustrating due to treatments every day and medications, and doctor visits to make sure you are healthy - more than the average person. That is why we strive to change CF from cystic fibrosis to cure found. 

Cystic Fibrosis does not stop Dean, and we are very thankful for that. Dean started middle school this year and has been running cross-country and track. He continues to love reading and creating, learning about history, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and being crazy with his friends. Though he has recently started to act much more like a teenager, he still cares deeply for all those he loves and has the biggest, kindest heart around.   

We know everyone has their own cause - and we know you cannot donate to everything. We appreciate all the support and love we receive, we cannot begin to thank everyone enough. Please consider supporting and helping us find a cure for Deaner and the other 750+ Indiana CFers!

Thank you,

Matt, Rachael, Dean, and Renley                                                                                                                                                                                  Learn more about cystic fibrosis at www.cff.org