This year marks our 22nd year fundraising for cystic fibrosis (CF), and thanks to your incredible love and support, we’ve raised over $500,000 for CF research. Over the years, I’ve shared updates about the life-changing medications that have come to market during Paige’s lifetime—but I truly don’t know if studying abroad would have been possible without Trikafta.

Your generosity has not only helped extend the lives of those living with CF, but has also given them the chance to live lives without limits. Without getting too technical, CF complications stem from malfunctioning chloride channels, which cause the body to lose essential salt through the skin instead of using it in the cells where it's desperately needed. CF is usually diagnosed through newborn screening, followed by a sweat (chloride) test to measure the amount of salt on the skin—levels that are significantly elevated in individuals with CF.

Now, a new drug, ALYFTREK(similar to Trikafta), has just gone to market. In patients taking this medication, chloride levels have tested within the normal range, indicating that the body is actually utilizing the chloride properly. For those who qualify, this is essentially as close to a cure as we’ve ever been. However, not all individuals with CF have the specific genetic makeup that allows these therapies to work. That’s why we continue to raise funds—so that every person living with CF has a chance at a long, healthy, and fulfilling life.