Thank you for visiting our Great Strides page. If you’re here, you’re already part of our fight.
 

Our daughter Emily was born with cystic fibrosis, a diagnosis that changed our world overnight. CF is a genetic disease that affects the entire body. Because of a faulty protein, salt cannot move in and out of cells the way they should. The result is thick, sticky mucus that builds up in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs.
 

That mucus does real harm. In the lungs, it traps bacteria and creates constant cycles of infection, inflammation, and scarring. Over time, this progressive disease can lead to permanent lung damage and potentially respiratory failure. 
 

For us, CF is not just a medical definition. It is daily medications, airway clearance, hospital visits, and constant vigilance. It is watching a child you love fight battles most people never have to think about. But it is also resilience, joy, and a determination stronger than anything we have ever known.
 

Great Strides plays a real role in her future. The progress the CF Foundation has made is the reason children and adults with CF are living longer, fuller lives. But we are not done. Not everyone with CF can access current therapies, and no therapy today is a cure. We need continued research, better treatments, and ultimately a world where CF is behind us.
 

If you’re reading this, what we truly need from you is your support. Most people who visit this page won’t walk with us in person, and that’s okay. What makes the biggest impact is your donation. Every dollar goes directly toward research, innovation, and the breakthroughs that can change the trajectory for kids like Emily.
 

Your support helps buy her time, health, hope, and a future that looks as bright as she deserves.
 

If you’re able, please donate. It matters more than you know. And from our family to yours, thank you. You’re part of our fight, and part of her story.


With our love and gratitude,

-- John, Rebecca, Alex and Emily Thome