My Great Strides Story
Ryan Hanes
Fundraising for Eastern Iowa Great Strides 2026
Ryan Hanes
About Gracie
Our daughter Gracie is a bright, funny, and determined kid who also happens to live with cystic fibrosis (CF), a progressive genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. CF causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the body, making it harder to breathe and to fight infections, and it requires daily treatments, medications, and frequent clinic visits to keep her as healthy as possible. Although incredible progress has been made in CF care and new therapies, there is still no cure, and too many lives are still cut short by this disease.
Despite all of this, Gracie shows us what real courage looks like every day. She faces airway treatments, pills, and doctor appointments with a strength far beyond her years, and she still finds the energy to laugh, play, and dream BIG about her future. She deserves a life that is not defined by CF – one where she can grow up, chase her dreams, and not be limited by her lungs.
Our daughter Gracie is a bright, funny, and determined kid who also happens to live with cystic fibrosis (CF), a progressive genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. CF causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the body, making it harder to breathe and to fight infections, and it requires daily treatments, medications, and frequent clinic visits to keep her as healthy as possible. Although incredible progress has been made in CF care and new therapies, there is still no cure, and too many lives are still cut short by this disease.
Despite all of this, Gracie shows us what real courage looks like every day. She faces airway treatments, pills, and doctor appointments with a strength far beyond her years, and she still finds the energy to laugh, play, and dream BIG about her future. She deserves a life that is not defined by CF – one where she can grow up, chase her dreams, and not be limited by her lungs.
Why We’re Walking at Kinnick Stadium
This year, our family is participating in the Great Strides walk at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, joining thousands of others across the country who lace up to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission to find a cure. Great Strides is the Foundation’s largest national fundraising event, bringing together families, friends, and communities in nearly 300 walks nationwide to fuel research, drive new treatments, and improve care for people living with CF.
Walking at Kinnick is especially meaningful for us. It gives us a place to stand together with our community, surrounded by energy and hope, and to show Gracie that she is not fighting this battle alone. Every step we take on that field is a step toward better treatments, longer lives, and ultimately, a cure.
This year, our family is participating in the Great Strides walk at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, joining thousands of others across the country who lace up to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission to find a cure. Great Strides is the Foundation’s largest national fundraising event, bringing together families, friends, and communities in nearly 300 walks nationwide to fuel research, drive new treatments, and improve care for people living with CF.
Walking at Kinnick is especially meaningful for us. It gives us a place to stand together with our community, surrounded by energy and hope, and to show Gracie that she is not fighting this battle alone. Every step we take on that field is a step toward better treatments, longer lives, and ultimately, a cure.
How Your Support Helps
Money raised through Great Strides funds vital CF research, accelerates the development of new therapies, and supports high-quality, specialized care at CF centers around the country. These funds have already helped bring life-changing drugs to people with CF, giving many the chance to breathe easier and live longer, healthier lives – but not everyone can benefit yet, and we will not stop until CF stands for “Cure Found.”
Your donation, of any amount, truly makes a difference. It helps give Gracie and every person with CF a better chance at the long, full life they deserve. If you can’t give, you can still help by joining our team, sharing our page, and spreading the word about CF and Great Strides.
Money raised through Great Strides funds vital CF research, accelerates the development of new therapies, and supports high-quality, specialized care at CF centers around the country. These funds have already helped bring life-changing drugs to people with CF, giving many the chance to breathe easier and live longer, healthier lives – but not everyone can benefit yet, and we will not stop until CF stands for “Cure Found.”
Your donation, of any amount, truly makes a difference. It helps give Gracie and every person with CF a better chance at the long, full life they deserve. If you can’t give, you can still help by joining our team, sharing our page, and spreading the word about CF and Great Strides.
In the last decade, a new class of medicines called CFTR modulators has transformed life for many people with cystic fibrosis by helping the faulty CF protein work more like it should. These drugs, including triple-combination therapies like Trikafta, have been shown to significantly improve lung function, reduce hospitalizations, and help people with CF live longer, healthier lives.
Today, roughly 90% of people with CF can benefit from at least one highly effective CFTR modulator, which is an incredible step forward—but it is not yet a cure, and some people still have no modulator options for their specific mutations. That is why the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Path to a Cure” research agenda is pushing hard on the next wave of treatments, including RNA-based therapies, gene transfer, and gene editing approaches that aim to correct or replace the CF gene itself.
Your support through Great Strides helps fuel this research pipeline so that one day, every person with CF—not just most—can benefit from powerful therapies, and ultimately from a true cure. We walk for Gracie knowing that science is moving faster than ever, and that together we can help turn “lifelong disease” into “cured for life.”
Today, roughly 90% of people with CF can benefit from at least one highly effective CFTR modulator, which is an incredible step forward—but it is not yet a cure, and some people still have no modulator options for their specific mutations. That is why the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Path to a Cure” research agenda is pushing hard on the next wave of treatments, including RNA-based therapies, gene transfer, and gene editing approaches that aim to correct or replace the CF gene itself.
Your support through Great Strides helps fuel this research pipeline so that one day, every person with CF—not just most—can benefit from powerful therapies, and ultimately from a true cure. We walk for Gracie knowing that science is moving faster than ever, and that together we can help turn “lifelong disease” into “cured for life.”
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