Hi everyone! My name is Christopher Cornejo, and thank you for checking out my page for SoCal's Finest. I am 32 years old and have been living in LA for 6 years. I work in VFX, most recently on Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
 

I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 29, a disease I knew very little about until recently. In the spring of 2023, I was celebrating Avatar: The Way of Water winning the Oscar for Best VFX with my amazing coworkers. However, while I was having fun, something felt off with my health. The next day, I had to go to the ER due to liver ascites. While running a CT scan on my lungs, my doctors found scarring, which turned out to be Cystic Fibrosis (CF).
 

CF is a progressive genetic disease that affects my lungs, pancreas, and other organs. Learning that I had been living with it since birth was a huge shock for both me and my family. Thankfully, I've been blessed with an incredible support system that has made this process so much easier.
 

I've been fortunate enough to do many things physically throughout my life. From playing sports as a kid, to rowing at Clemson, to going to the gym regularly, things many CF patients don't have the luxury of doing due to severe lung issues. My life hasn't changed too much, thankfully. I just have to take a lot more pills and get poked by doctors more often than I'd like.
 

Sixty years ago, children with CF often did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Even in 1993, when I was born, many people with CF didn't make it to 32. I realize how fortunate I am to be where I am today, and I don't take that for granted. I know how quickly things can change.
 

Today, thanks to the CF Foundation supported research and care, the median survival age continues to increase. The CF Foundation has fostered the development of more than a dozen treatments and has added decades of life for people living with CF.
 

I truly appreciate you considering a donation to the CF Foundation. This is something myself and others with CF will have to deal with for the rest of our lives, but through your support, we can do everything possible to help those living with the disease. While you may see me at beach volleyball, a Clemson game, or on the golf course, there are countless CF patients who would love to be in my shoes. These donations are for them, for the hope of a life free from the burden of this disease.