Jennifer Albrecht

Dear friends and family,

We are back! It's time for IAN’s ARMY to walk in the annual Great Strides Walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our goal is big and ambitious but we know we can do it with you support. Thanks to the tremendous outpouring of support from you all, last year we raised $21,953, and we hope to do it again! 

On May 19th at Artesani Park in Boston, we will lace up our sneakers for another meaningful, purposeful trek around the Charles River with hundreds of other CF fighters and friends. Over the years your support and encouragement have filled us with immeasureable hope and energy and the real belief that we will achieve the greatest goal of all: a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. We hope you will continue to stick by us.

Ian was just 19 days old when we learned he had Cystic Fibrosis, a rare, progressive, life-threatening disease that results in the formation of thick mucus that builds up in the lungs, digestive tract, and other parts of the body. Learning that Ian would likely struggle with severe respiratory and digestive problems throughout his life as well as other complications such as infections and diabetes was frightening. As a family we felt the urgency to do something to try to change that trajectory, so we immediately became involved with the CF Foundation.

Today, twelve years since Ian's diagnosis, the tides of CF are turning. Disease modifying drugs like Trikafta, which was recently approved for children as young as 2, are literally changing lives by treating the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis. The year Ian was born, life expectancy for someone diagnosed with CF was just 37 years. In the last twelve years since the introduction of these critical medicines, life expectancy is up to 56 years. The number of people who need lung transplants continues to decrease as do the number of people who experience severe pulmonary exacerbations. These better health outcomes are due to the significant progress in CF care, therapies and research backed by the CF Foundation and donors like you. 

This is excellent progress but it isn't enough. There is still so much work remaining, and so we will continue to advocate for CF patients and fundraise to support this vital research so that someday all people battling this disease will have their life changing medicine and their cure.

We hope you will support this cause by making a donation today to IAN’s ARMY, and we hope you’ll consider registering with our team and walking with us on May 19th in Boston.

With deepest gratitude,
Ian (Army General), Marin, Jen and Brian

* Please submit to your company’s corporate matching program. 100% of your contribution is tax deductible.