Serafina Ventimiglia

Dear Friends and Family,

Meet Cecilia. Cecilia is 4 years old and has a twin brother and one older sister. Cecilia enjoys riding carousels, playing with her brother and sister, eating chicken nuggets, and dancing.

Cecilia was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at just 6 weeks old. Her twin brother is a carrier and her older sister doesn't carry the CF gene. When Cecilia was diagnosed and in the hospital recovering, her mother Sera was told the life expectancy of a person with CF was just 37 years old. Sera was just 37 years old at that time. While this information at the time turned out to be outdated, it struct Sera so profoundly that her baby's life could be cut short at all. 37 years old is just not enough time.

After Sera and Seth spent more time learning about CF and Cecilia's CF mutations, they learned that Cecilia qualifies for a breakthrough modulator therapy for ages 6 months and up. Although this modulator is not a cure for CF, it will give Cecilia the best opportunity to live a full, productive life.

Unfortunately, not everyone living with CF is able to take a modulator theraphy like Cecilia's. Since there are over 1,700 different types of CF mutations in the world, a one time cure is all that will help a portion of the CF population. This modulator therapy changed Cecilia's life expectancy and while this will keep her healthy, we will fight until we have a one time cure for her and everyone living with cystic fibrosis.

The CF Community, has supported the CF Foundation through the development of more than a dozen CF treatments - an unprecedented number in a short span of time- and help add decades of life for people with CF. The CF Foundation's vision is a cure for every person with CF and a life free from the burden of this disease.

With supporters like you by our side, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation continues to lead the way in the fight against CF, fueling extraordinary medical and scientific progress. The life expectancy of someone born with CF has doubled in the last 30 years. Despite this progress, many people with CF do not benefit from existing therapies either because their disease is too advanced or because their specific genetic mutations will not respond. They are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, friends, and co-workers who struggle every day in the face of this devasting disease.

We walk in Great Strides for Cecilia and all the those living with CF.

Please support our efforts to raise $3,000 as team. With your support, we are confident that one day, not one person will lose a child, sibling, parent or friend to cystic fibrosis. You all have the opportunity in YOUR lifetime and in Cecilia's lifetime, to be part of ending this diease.

Thank you all in advance of your kindness, support and generosity.

Together, let's make CF stand for CURE FOUND!

-Cecilia's loving family
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WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR TEAM:
1) Donate to our team page and share your support on social media!

2) Register and join our team! Then, set your own fundraising goal and share our story with your community. To join, just click on the "Join our Team" button. From there, you can make a donation and start fundraising.

3) Facebook Fundraising AFTER you join our team. When you register, go to your PARTICIPANT CENTER and click the blue button labeled: FUNDRAISE ON FACEBOOK. Be sure to register for the Detroit Zoo Walk FIRST. Anything you raise through Facebook Fundraising AFTER you register for Great Strides, will automatically count on our team total.

The Detroit Zoo Great Strides is in PERSON this year on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Check in starts at 7:30 AM and the walk kicks off at 8:30 AM. In order to join us the day of the walk, please be sure to register for our team.