Anne Oestriecher

Dear Friends and Family:

What a year this has been.  A lot of sadness and sorrow as we lost Mom in May and Dad last month.  A lot of joy as we celebrated their lives and remembered a lifetime of moments.  Last week marked 55 years since my sister went to heaven…I’m sure Mom and Dad are rejoicing in their reunion with their baby girl.

Our theme for Great Strides this year is “A Reason to Smile”.  We certainly have a lot of those.  I was just honored to spend time in Washington DC for our CF “March on the Hill” where we met with our congressional delegation, telling them our story and asking for their help.  I then stayed for the Volunteers Leaders Conference, where we had two days of updates.  It is AMAZING the progress that is being made.  Modulators such as Trikafta are benefitting almost 90% of CF patients, helping them to lead healthier, longer lives.  However, this is not a cure, and there are still a lot of very sick kids and adults who need help.  The CF Foundation is funding ground-breaking genetic research that will help not only CF patients, but those suffering from other genetic diseases.  Medical research is incredibly expensive, and I am so proud of the record the CFF has of making prudent investments into the research pipeline.

I am proud to say that I have been a part of Great Strides since the first one, more than 35 years ago. Many of you have been on this journey with me for many of those years. I am once again asking for your help.  Great Strides is our single biggest fundraiser….can you help again this year? I once again am asking you to open your hearts and your wallets, and help me with a donation. My goal is $10,000 this year. I will be matching all contributions received (up to a total of $10,000), so make me pay!