Hi! As many of you may know by now, my name is Kennedy Jacques and I was born with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic lung disease affecting all parts of the body including the lungs, liver, digestive system and pancreas. This meant that pills became part of my daily routine since i was 1 month old. I still take over 32 pills a day including a miracle drug, Trikafta. Trikafta was a breakthrough medication for those with my CF mutation. Not only did it improve my lung function and overall quality of life, but it will also allow me to live longer than originally expected when i was born.

And after 18 years of fundraising efforts, I am delighted to say that I might outlive all of you! While our wins are mighty, we still have a long way to go because this is still not the case for many others with Cystic Fibrosis and why we continue to fight the long battle against this disease. Many other children and teens with cystic fibrosis do not have access to medication because of the cost and/ or their genetic mutation. So with our fundraising efforts we strive to make these drugs more accessible to all and continue our research efforts. With all of your help, we are hoping that CF will stand for Cure Found. This year's Denver CF climb returns to Coors Field on Saturday Morning July 26th. We would love to see you all in person there and every dollar helps our mission.

A little about me: 

I finished my first year of college, majoring in Neurobiology at the University of Wisconsin Madison and made dean's list both semesters! I went to lots of badger game days in the fall, the winter was “mild” according to locals although I would not describe -26 degrees as mild, and made lots of lifelong friendships along the way. This summer I am working as a CNA at River Point Surgery Center and a rehab facility as well as babysitting for 3 wonderful kids. Summer has been a great recharge but I can’t wait to return to Madison to start my sophomore year of college in the fall.