On July 25, 2027, I’m racing my first full IRONMAN at Lake Placid with the CF Foundation’s Breathe Team: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. My goal is to raise $2,500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I train 12–15 hours a week, and from now until race day, that training is for people with CF.
 

I see CF from two sides. At the bench, I’ve worked in the Harris lab at Case Western Reserve University’s Cystic Fibrosis Research Center for over two years. This summer, through Cystic Fibrosis Foundation funding, I studied the cells lining the male reproductive tract. Nearly every man with CF is infertile, a part of the disease that gets far less attention than the lungs. In October I presented that work at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Atlanta.
 

At the bedside, I work as a nursing assistant on one of the main hospital units for patients with CF. I’ve seen how much a single day of a pulmonary exacerbation takes out of someone and how hard patients and their families advocate for the care they need. I can’t change what they’re going through, but I can help fund the research behind the next treatments.
 

Modulator therapies have changed the outlook for many people with CF. They haven’t changed it for everyone, and CF is still more than a lung disease. Your gift helps fund the research and care aimed at closing that gap.

Any amount helps, and $140.60 is $1 for every mile of the race. If your employer matches charitable gifts, your donation goes twice as far. I will share training updates along the way, and on race day you can track me live.

Thank you for being on the team behind me!