From the Sting of CF… to the Sweetness of Life

When I was born in 1974, my parents feared the worst.
I struggled to breathe. Doctors ran test after test. My family waited in limbo for answers.
 

It turned out to be asthma—not cystic fibrosis.
If it had been CF, the odds of me celebrating my 50th birthday last year would have been heartbreakingly small.
 

Imagine being young parents, staring at your newborn, knowing they’re sick—but not knowing with what. Is it life-threatening and incurable? Or something manageable? Every second waiting for answers feels like an eternity. Hopes collide with fears. Dreams crumble under the weight of “what ifs.” And sometimes, that wait stretches into years.
 

Fast forward to 2015.
I met one of my closest friends—a military wife and mom to two extraordinary daughters. Within minutes of meeting them, I learned both girls had cystic fibrosis. Not one… both. For such a rare disease, this is almost unheard of.

I think of my friend as a young parent.
What must those moments of waiting have been like?
What must that moment of realization like when she learned that for her babies it was indeed a life-threatening, incurable disease? 
 

My friend's two young women captured my heart.
They shared the kind of deep bond most sisters have—but also an unshakable closeness with their parents that most teenagers rarely show. Their love for one another was obvious, genuine, and inspiring. 
 

The younger one and I connected over our shared love of theater, the TV show Psych, and doing improv together at church.
The older one and I bonded over design and publishing. I taught her a few tricks, and she surprised me with resources I still use today.


Today, those “girls” are grown women in their mid-to-late 20s.
They’re not just alive—they’re thriving.
And here’s the miracle: both are now mothers, and their children are CF-free. The older sister, already mom to two, is now expecting twins. Praise God!
 

But here’s the reality:
CF still shapes every part of their lives.

• The medications are expensive.

• The lung treatments are exhausting.

• The hospital “tune-ups” are a yearly necessity.

CF remains a life-shortening disease. There is no cure—yet.

The only reason my friends are alive to raise their children is because of groundbreaking research funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
That’s why I’m walking. That’s why I’m raising money.

I want to see the day when no one loses their breath to CF.

Will you help?
Your donation pushes research forward. It turns today’s miracles into tomorrow’s cures. It gives people with CF the chance to live long, healthy lives.

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