I am Bob’s mother and the leader of Bob’s Dream Team. My son Bob’s story is a remarkable story of resilience that also speaks to the game changing effects that research into treating cystic fibrosis can have.

    Bob was born on July 4th in 1982. At six months of age he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. In 1983 when the cystic fibrosis center opened at UMass Hospital in Worcester, under the direction of the late Dr. Robert Zwerdling, Bob became the center’s first patient.

    In 1983 our family began participating in local fundraising walks for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In 1988 our Worcester event became part of Great Strides, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest national fundraising event, walks that have now raised hundreds of thousands of dollars toward research.

In 1993, while Bob was participating in local youth basketball leagues, our family’s fundraising team coined the name “Bob’s Dream Team” after the famous 1992 Olympic basketball team. We have called ourselves Bob’s Dream Team ever since. 

    Growing up, Bob faced his share of adversity. He was hospitalized countless times and even began his high school career from a hospital bed. Still, he never complained. 

    As Bob grew into young adulthood our family continued to make the Great Strides walk a May tradition with new faces alongside old faces. For many years Bob served as DJ during the walk. 

    Bob is now forty-two years old. In 2019 his medical team found that he was a candidate for trikafta, a new, breakthrough therapy. This new treatment has proved to have a profoundly positive effect on Bob’s health and quality of life. We are immeasurably grateful for the benefits trikafta has provided and for the hope that it offers.

    But we are not done yet. There is still no cure for cystic fibrosis and until a cure is found we will continue to walk. Please support us!

Thanks to All,

Bob’s Dream Team