My Breathe Team Story
Sarah Giambuzzi
Fundraising for BMW Berlin Marathon 2026
Sarah Giambuzzi
I met Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as a teenager. My first serious boyfriend and longtime close friend lived with this horrible disease for 40+ years until his passing in January of this year. Years ago, you would have never known he had CF when first meeting him. He was full of life, sarcasm, and an amazing can-do spirit about his circumstances. Sadly, CF always has the upper hand.
While fundraising, research and medical advances have improved life longevity for newly diagnosed patients, it’s not nearly enough. CF is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s secretory glands producing a thick sticky mucus that negatively impacts major organs – most noteably the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. My friend was fortunate enough to receive a double lung transplant 7 years ago when this disease had destroyed the lungs he was born with. This changed his battle as the immunosuppressive medication needed for his new lungs led to the need for a kidney. A lifetime of battling cystic fibrosis also had a significantly negative impact on his heart and cardiovascular system. My best friend suffered and survived a massive heart attack in February of 2024. Due to these and other complications Jon was in the ICU until January 2026. His body could no longer fight and he passed away.
With all the medical knowledge and advancements, no one should have to think of a CF diagnosis as a shortening of life diagnosis or death sentence. But the research requires private funding. “The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for CF and supports a broad range of research initiatives to tackle the disease from all angles.” (www.cff.org) The challenges we currently face due to our current national administration could make this work even harder and more expensive.
This is why I’m running for CF. I’ve witnessed the devastating impact this disease has. I am running in memory of Jon.
Thank you for considering supporting my participation in the 2026 Berlin Marathon and the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
While fundraising, research and medical advances have improved life longevity for newly diagnosed patients, it’s not nearly enough. CF is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s secretory glands producing a thick sticky mucus that negatively impacts major organs – most noteably the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. My friend was fortunate enough to receive a double lung transplant 7 years ago when this disease had destroyed the lungs he was born with. This changed his battle as the immunosuppressive medication needed for his new lungs led to the need for a kidney. A lifetime of battling cystic fibrosis also had a significantly negative impact on his heart and cardiovascular system. My best friend suffered and survived a massive heart attack in February of 2024. Due to these and other complications Jon was in the ICU until January 2026. His body could no longer fight and he passed away.
With all the medical knowledge and advancements, no one should have to think of a CF diagnosis as a shortening of life diagnosis or death sentence. But the research requires private funding. “The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for CF and supports a broad range of research initiatives to tackle the disease from all angles.” (www.cff.org) The challenges we currently face due to our current national administration could make this work even harder and more expensive.
This is why I’m running for CF. I’ve witnessed the devastating impact this disease has. I am running in memory of Jon.
Thank you for considering supporting my participation in the 2026 Berlin Marathon and the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Comments