If you had told me a few years ago that I'd be spending the first weeks of my 30s training for a quarter marathon, I would have laughed and told you that you had the wrong person. Yet here I am, taking on my biggest running challenge yet with the Cystic Fibrosis Breathe Team. 🫁🏃🏻‍♀️💜

Living with CF has taught me that nothing worth having comes easy. CF has challenged me my entire life, requiring determination, resilience, and a willingness to keep pushing forward even when things get difficult. In many ways, running reminds me of that journey. I have a love-hate relationship with running, but each time I lace up my shoes, I'm reminded that growth happens when we push beyond what feels comfortable.

Over the past two years, I've completed four 5Ks, setting a new personal record with each race. This quarter marathon is my next challenge, and it's one that would not have been possible without the incredible advances in CF research.

In 2018, I started Trikafta, and it changed my life. Before Trikafta, my lung function was in the 80% range. Today, it consistently measures around 98-99%. That improvement isn't just a number—it's more energy, more opportunities, and the ability to pursue goals that once felt out of reach. I am living proof that investments in research can transform lives.

I am also running in honor of those we have lost to cystic fibrosis, especially my dad's high school best friend, Eric, who I think of as my guardian angel. Too many people with CF were taken from this world before they had the chance to live the full lives they deserved. Every mile I run is for them.

If there is one message I hope to leave with you, it's this: your donation is about more than supporting my race. Your generosity helps fund the research, care, and innovation that make stories like mine possible. More importantly, it helps create a future where children born with CF won't have to spend their lives fighting just to survive. Instead, they will have the opportunity to thrive, chase their dreams, and accomplish all they set out to do.

Thank you for supporting me, the CF community, and the future we are building together—one where every person with cystic fibrosis can live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life.