Hello Friends and Family!

It seems crazy that 2025 will be 14 years of life with Dean and cystic fibrosis. We will never forget finding out about Dean's diagnosis at just 10 days old. We've had lots of treatments, doctors visits, medications, and questions over the years, but we have also come so far!!! Dean remains pretty healthy thanks to life-changing medications and treatments, and our Team Dean-O-Mite Great Strides team has raised just over $124,000 since we started fundraising in 2012. We could not be where we are today without the love, help, and generosity of our friends and family! THANK YOU! Much has changed over the last almost 14 years Dean has been alive and the majority of that is directly related to the four drugs which are currently available to treat the underlying CAUSE of CF in just over 90% of the CF population. 

These advancements and changes are amazing and helping so many with CF. In March of 2025 Dean will have been taking Trikafta for three full years! It still seems crazy to us that he has been approved to take this medicine as we didn't expect it to happen for years to come. As great as this is for Dean and many others, we know we are not done yet. We are not at 100%. We will not stop all those living with CF have a CURE. To make that happen, we will continue to fundraise, ask for support, attend events, and advocate with our legislators. 

As Dean is getting older, he is starting to become more aware of what CF means for him. I asked Dean to share some thoughts with all of you:

CF impacts thousands of people's daily lives and the CF Foundation strives to lower that number every day. One of those thousands of people is me. From my experience, CF can be very frustrating due to treatments every day and medications, and doctor visits to make sure you are healthy - more than the average person. That is why we strive to change CF from cystic fibrosis to cure found. 

Cystic Fibrosis does not stop Dean, and we are very thankful for that. Dean will start HS in the fall of 2025 and is already training for HS Cross Country! He loves reading and creating, learning about history, listening to mush, and being crazy with his friends. Though he definitely acts more like a teenager these days, he still cares deeply for all those he loves and has the biggest, kindest heart around.   

We know everyone has their own cause - and we know you cannot donate to everything. We appreciate all the support and love we receive, we cannot begin to thank everyone enough. Please consider supporting and helping us find a cure for Deaner and the other 750+ Indiana CFers!

Thank you!
Matt, Rachael, Dean, and Renley