My Xtreme Hike Story

Hello! 

My name is Bishop Saunders, I am 27 years old living in Charlotte, NC and I am a CF Fighter. Since graduating from North Carolina State University, I have been working at EY as a Financial Services Consultant. When I am not traveling to see my mom, sister or new niece in Cary, NC, you would find me playing golf, my life-long passion, long-distance running, enjoying the presence of friends or reading too many non-fiction books. I believe the answer to “Who am I?” is what I leave behind in others. My first priority is and always will be to be a compassionate and loving husband, brother, uncle, and son. To my friends and community, I aspire to be a pillar of vulnerability and wellness. I wake up each day with the goal to nourish my mind, body and soul each and every day and make positive change in everything I do.

As a young adult, I have spent the majority of the past 5 years thinking about who I am, who I want to be, and what legacy I want to live behind. For too many years, I have answered that question with, “I am just another poor kid with CF that feels guilty about asking others for support because it is selfish to do so…”. I told myself that because I have been blessed with a relatively healthy life compared to others, I shouldn’t be considered a “CF Fighter” and not a good representative of the CFF. 

I have come to see that I am who other CF Fighters, parents, family & friends aspire to be. I am a thriving young adult living each and every day without a doubt of tomorrow, all of which is due to the tireless efforts of the CFF. I have evolved from frequent hospital visits and by-hand pulmonary treatments, to receiving a state-of-the-art Vest that only weighed 40lbs and an efficient nebulizer, and now, I have been blessed with Trikafta allowing me to live… normally. Normalcy in the life of a CF Fighter and their community used to be an aspiration that is now well within grasp for each and every CF Fighter. As the 2023 CFF Ambassador for NC, SC & GA, I want to tell every donor the dollars they invested, tell every scientist the hours spent in the lab, and every community member, that the CF Foundation is creating tomorrows for millions of people impacted by Cystic Fibrosis. They are creating tomorrows for me.

Please support me!

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of cystic fibrosis and your support matters. With your help, we can invest our resources in research today, while raising funds for tomorrow, to ensure we have what it takes to reach the finish line. Together, we can make CF stand for Cure Found. Please help me reach my fundraising goal by donating to my Xtreme Hike fundraising campaign today!