I will soon be honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at a special event recognizing outstanding young professionals in my community. In accepting this distinction, I have committed to raise money to help the Foundation realize its mission of controlling and curing cystic fibrosis (CF).

I was paired with the Koops family to learn more about their experience with CF, as their youngest, Jeb, has the disease. After getting sick and being hospitalized numerous times as a child, Jeb's doctor suggested getting tested for CF. His test came back positive, and their daily routine changed. Every day, Jeb's parents would pat his back to help break up the thick mucus. This processes was eventually replaced by the vibrating vest which helped take a lot of pressure off the family. As Jeb continued to grow, research expanded and new drugs were released. Jeb originally was on, Symdeko, helped a little bit. However, the biggest change came with the release of the drug Trikafta. This drug has changed Jeb's life. He has been able to decrease the number of times he needs to sit with his vest on, and has allowed him more freedom! Without the research funded by the CF foundation, the progress we have seen in the last few years would not be possible.

Please help me meet my fundraising goal by making a donation. Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively to help support vital CF research, medical and education programs.

Making a donation is easy and secure! Just click the Donate button on this page to make a donation that will be credited to my fundraising efforts. Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated!

Cystic fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. More than ten million Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene. Advances continue to be made in finding a cure, but your help is needed now -- more than ever -- to help keep up the momentum of this life-saving research. Sixty years ago, children with CF usually did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, because of Foundation-supported research and care, the median survival age of people with CF is about 40. This is remarkable progress, but not good enough. We continue to lose precious lives to CF every day. To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit www.cff.org. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with cystic fibrosis. Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation!