Bradley Bunch Great Strides Story
Peter Bradley
Fundraising for Chicago Great Strides
Peter Bradley
Mackenzie and Anika were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) before they were born. We are writing today to ask for a donation to help find a cure. Your donations DO make a huge difference.
Kenzie is 26 years old. She works at the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre as their Associate Production Manager and freelances as a scenic artist at several Bay Area theaters (such as Berkeley Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, and more). In her very little amount of free time, Kenzie enjoys making stained and fused glass works of art, trying all of the local food the Bay has to offer, and cooking fun dishes with her boyfriend Chris. She has also been doing a lot of traveling on the west coast - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and even a bit of California camping! Kenzie will be moving in with her boyfriend this year and they hope to fulfill a years-long dream of adopting two cats.
By the Walk, Anika will be 24 years old. She has been teaching English Language Arts full-time at a public middle school in the Bronx, New York. She loves her 7th grade students and is the book club leader in her school for the 7th and 8th graders. She has some amazing colleagues who have become great friends. She just began graduate school in January to get her Master’s degree as a literacy specialist. Her and her little black cat, Leia, moved out of Manhattan and into Queens with two roommates over the summer! She loves her new roommates and her new neighborhood in Astoria, New York. She has been home many times this year to visit Chicago, and Pete and Teri came out to visit her in February. She loves hanging out with her roommates. They’ve gone to the Queens Botanical Gardens and saw Moby Dick at the Met Opera. She and her friends explore the city together or find new brunch spots in Manhattan!
Four years ago, Anika was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis-related diabetes. Diabetes is a common complication of cystic fibrosis with around 40-50% of adults developing it. She’s monitoring her glucose (yes, finger sticks) and is on a low dose medication to stabilize her blood sugar.
Both girls have a few CF Clinic visits every year; they have recently transitioned to Adult CF Clinics from the Pediatric Clinic a few years ago. Anika takes about 8 different prescription drugs a day and Kenzie takes about 4. Each takes 7 enzyme capsules before every meal and snack. They are often on antibiotics as part of their treatment. They each do respiratory therapy twice a day for about 20 minutes/session. The therapy includes wearing a ‘Vest’ that is hooked up to an air pumping machine. It beats air against their chest/back for 20 minutes to loosen mucus in their lungs. They breathe medicines daily using a nebulizer and inhaler.
The CF Foundation has made incredible progress in improving and extending the lives of those with Cystic Fibrosis. The mean life expectancy for a person with CF is now 56 years. This is up from 18 in the 1970s and 32 when the girls were born. Your donations helped make this happen!
Trikafta is the new wonder drug for CF patients. The first drug that is proven, in studies, to increase lung function. Your contributions over the years have directly helped these new drugs and new treatments get developed and tested. Thanks to all of you who have donated for funding the research that made this possible!!!
Last year was the 25th year for the Bradley Bunch Walk Team. We had a wonderful team of walkers and we celebrated this big milestone. Mackenzie and her boyfriend, Chris, even flew in from San Francisco to walk. We raised just under $13,000. Our total raised for those 25 years is now over $407,000. We never expected to be this successful! We have so many long-term walkers and contributors. Thank You!
Teri and Pete have decided that after 25 years, and with the girls on the East and West coasts, not to host a tent and field a walk team going forward. We will continue to fundraise and walk when we can, and you are always welcome to join the CF Foundation for the walk! You will get a donation request letter from us each year.
Will you help us end cystic fibrosis?
By donating to my fundraising goal, you have the power to advance the research and science needed to drive our shared dream forward – a cure for everyone with CF.
Kenzie is 26 years old. She works at the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre as their Associate Production Manager and freelances as a scenic artist at several Bay Area theaters (such as Berkeley Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, and more). In her very little amount of free time, Kenzie enjoys making stained and fused glass works of art, trying all of the local food the Bay has to offer, and cooking fun dishes with her boyfriend Chris. She has also been doing a lot of traveling on the west coast - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and even a bit of California camping! Kenzie will be moving in with her boyfriend this year and they hope to fulfill a years-long dream of adopting two cats.
By the Walk, Anika will be 24 years old. She has been teaching English Language Arts full-time at a public middle school in the Bronx, New York. She loves her 7th grade students and is the book club leader in her school for the 7th and 8th graders. She has some amazing colleagues who have become great friends. She just began graduate school in January to get her Master’s degree as a literacy specialist. Her and her little black cat, Leia, moved out of Manhattan and into Queens with two roommates over the summer! She loves her new roommates and her new neighborhood in Astoria, New York. She has been home many times this year to visit Chicago, and Pete and Teri came out to visit her in February. She loves hanging out with her roommates. They’ve gone to the Queens Botanical Gardens and saw Moby Dick at the Met Opera. She and her friends explore the city together or find new brunch spots in Manhattan!
Four years ago, Anika was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis-related diabetes. Diabetes is a common complication of cystic fibrosis with around 40-50% of adults developing it. She’s monitoring her glucose (yes, finger sticks) and is on a low dose medication to stabilize her blood sugar.
Both girls have a few CF Clinic visits every year; they have recently transitioned to Adult CF Clinics from the Pediatric Clinic a few years ago. Anika takes about 8 different prescription drugs a day and Kenzie takes about 4. Each takes 7 enzyme capsules before every meal and snack. They are often on antibiotics as part of their treatment. They each do respiratory therapy twice a day for about 20 minutes/session. The therapy includes wearing a ‘Vest’ that is hooked up to an air pumping machine. It beats air against their chest/back for 20 minutes to loosen mucus in their lungs. They breathe medicines daily using a nebulizer and inhaler.
The CF Foundation has made incredible progress in improving and extending the lives of those with Cystic Fibrosis. The mean life expectancy for a person with CF is now 56 years. This is up from 18 in the 1970s and 32 when the girls were born. Your donations helped make this happen!
Trikafta is the new wonder drug for CF patients. The first drug that is proven, in studies, to increase lung function. Your contributions over the years have directly helped these new drugs and new treatments get developed and tested. Thanks to all of you who have donated for funding the research that made this possible!!!
Last year was the 25th year for the Bradley Bunch Walk Team. We had a wonderful team of walkers and we celebrated this big milestone. Mackenzie and her boyfriend, Chris, even flew in from San Francisco to walk. We raised just under $13,000. Our total raised for those 25 years is now over $407,000. We never expected to be this successful! We have so many long-term walkers and contributors. Thank You!
Teri and Pete have decided that after 25 years, and with the girls on the East and West coasts, not to host a tent and field a walk team going forward. We will continue to fundraise and walk when we can, and you are always welcome to join the CF Foundation for the walk! You will get a donation request letter from us each year.
Will you help us end cystic fibrosis?
By donating to my fundraising goal, you have the power to advance the research and science needed to drive our shared dream forward – a cure for everyone with CF.
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