My Xtreme Hike Story
Kurt Zimmerman
Fundraising for Steamboat Xtreme Hike 2026
Kurt Zimmerman
My Hike Story
When I was growing up, the number for the median life expectancy that I can distinctly remember the doctors talking about for someone with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) was 37 years old. A weird thing for a kid in elementary school to have to think about and process (my psychologist wife might say that that is "diagnostically relevant"). Last October, I turned 37, and thanks to huge advances in treatment, in large part funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, I have never felt healthier or had a brighter outlook on the future.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition that affects some 40,000 people in the United States. It affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs through a defect in how chloride ions are transported across the cell walls throughout the body which leads to a thickening of the mucous which is then prone to infection, causing inflammation and damage to the lungs and other organs.
I was diagnosed with CF in elementary school and while my symptoms were fairly mild through to high school, I still had to do airway clearance therapy every day and take large quantities of pills to try and stay healthy. I started struggling more in college and began to be admitted to the hospital every few years for IV antibiotics and more rigorous airway clearance to combat these lung infections. These hospital “tune ups” became more frequent as I worked at SpaceX, eventually spending a week or more every 3 to 6 months in the hospital.
Finally, some new drugs were developed with the support of money raised through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that slowed and even began to reverse many of my symptoms, giving me easier breathing, no more hospital stays in the last few years, and a new lease on life. When I was growing up, the life expectancy for someone with CF was only in the mid to late 30’s (where I am today!) but now thanks to developments in treatment and these new wonder drugs, the life expectancy is shooting past 60.
However, there is currently no cure for cystic fibrosis. While these new drugs have been a huge help in my life, they still must be taken every day, the long term affects are still being studies, and unfortunately they do not work for everyone with CF. For that reason I am again participating in the CFF Rocky Mountain Chapter Xtreme Hike to Cure CF to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The hike will take place in September this year. During the hike Kim and I will travel more than 20 miles and over 4000 ft of elevation in a single day in support of those, like myself, with CF.
Your support makes a difference.
By donating to my fundraising goal, you will help advance our mission for a cure for all. Please consider joining us and helping make CF stand for Cure Found.
To learn more about CF and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundations efforts, check out: https://www.cff.org/
When I was growing up, the number for the median life expectancy that I can distinctly remember the doctors talking about for someone with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) was 37 years old. A weird thing for a kid in elementary school to have to think about and process (my psychologist wife might say that that is "diagnostically relevant"). Last October, I turned 37, and thanks to huge advances in treatment, in large part funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, I have never felt healthier or had a brighter outlook on the future.
This summer the kids joined Kim and me on a few nearly 6 mile hike where they crushed some elevation. Something I wasn't always sure I would be able to continue to do, when the every 2 year hospital "tune ups" turned to every year turned to every 3 months and the coughing and lung infections left me wondering if I would even be able to continue doing the work at SpaceX that I loved, let alone athletic pursuits at high altitude. I am now so grateful that I get to share one of my favorite and most fulfilling activities with my family.
Raising and asking for money is not something I feel naturally comfortable with, but for this 3rd year of participation I am again reaching out to you all, my friends and family, in my community to help me hit my fundraising goal
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition that affects some 40,000 people in the United States. It affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs through a defect in how chloride ions are transported across the cell walls throughout the body which leads to a thickening of the mucous which is then prone to infection, causing inflammation and damage to the lungs and other organs.
I was diagnosed with CF in elementary school and while my symptoms were fairly mild through to high school, I still had to do airway clearance therapy every day and take large quantities of pills to try and stay healthy. I started struggling more in college and began to be admitted to the hospital every few years for IV antibiotics and more rigorous airway clearance to combat these lung infections. These hospital “tune ups” became more frequent as I worked at SpaceX, eventually spending a week or more every 3 to 6 months in the hospital.
Finally, some new drugs were developed with the support of money raised through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that slowed and even began to reverse many of my symptoms, giving me easier breathing, no more hospital stays in the last few years, and a new lease on life. When I was growing up, the life expectancy for someone with CF was only in the mid to late 30’s (where I am today!) but now thanks to developments in treatment and these new wonder drugs, the life expectancy is shooting past 60.
However, there is currently no cure for cystic fibrosis. While these new drugs have been a huge help in my life, they still must be taken every day, the long term affects are still being studies, and unfortunately they do not work for everyone with CF. For that reason I am again participating in the CFF Rocky Mountain Chapter Xtreme Hike to Cure CF to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The hike will take place in September this year. During the hike Kim and I will travel more than 20 miles and over 4000 ft of elevation in a single day in support of those, like myself, with CF.
Your support makes a difference.
By donating to my fundraising goal, you will help advance our mission for a cure for all. Please consider joining us and helping make CF stand for Cure Found.
To learn more about CF and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundations efforts, check out: https://www.cff.org/
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