My daughter, Kyleigh, is a 28-year-old living with cystic fibrosis. She was born with CF, a genetic disease, and was not diagnosed with CF until she was about 9 months old. There was not much access to the internet in 1998, so the concerns I had were passed off as just being a new mom and probably just an exaggeration.  At 9 months, she developed a cough, the doctor gave me some medicine, and the medicine put her to sleep. When I called the doctor to let him know she became more lethargic,  he told me it wasn't normal for that medicine. He asked us to come in immediately and to bring my list of complaints from the past many months. When we brought her in, and he saw that her jet black hair had turned to bleach-blonde at the roots, her face was round, and she was extremely lethargic, he determined that she had failure to thrive. When I gave him my list of things I've been complaining about for the last several months, he left the office, went to his office next door, and came back a few minutes later, having decided that this was probably cystic fibrosis. I guess in 1998, it was a good thing we didn't have access to the internet because I had no idea what CF was. What I did find in my parenting books was just a few paragraphs that simply read: that the life expectancy for someone with CF was about 17 to 25 years, and there was no cure. Because we were living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda, they sent us to the States, and we decided to come back to California, where my family was, and we ended up at Stanford Hospital. Stanford did the sweat test, where they put a little wrist watch on your child's wrist and measured the amount of salt that was in the sweat.  There was no gene sequencing at that time, well, there was, but it was really for the Rich and Famous. If you know a little about science, the only way that you can find a cure is by determining where those genetic diseases are located in a gene. There's a lot more to it than that, but basically, I knew that I needed to know where her genes were for CF to be cured.  

In February of 1998, I was handed a binder given to me through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was Giant. It included everything about CF,  what to expect for medical treatments, how to treat her, how to feed her, and so much more.  It also explained some of the research that was happening.  I immediately volunteered for the CF Foundation and participated in my first walk in 1998. Since then, I have done different walks and fundraisers for the CF Foundation. Through the years, I did all I could to learn as much as I could from the CF Foundation. I learned about the ongoing research they were doing, and we participated in many trials because of the CF Foundation. My siblings all got tested for CF genes once that became available. And it did become available because of the CF Foundation. As the years passed, we learned about both of the genes she carried and who gave her which gene! 

Today, my daughter is 28 years old. She has been hospitalized countless times and days. She has had two double lung transplants. The second one came just recently in October of 2024. It's been a rough 28 years for sure. But my daughter has lived life, she has traveled extensively, even the days leading up to her second very Unexpected emergency double lung transplant. Through all of her days, through all of what we have gone through in many, many hospital stays, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been by our sides. The CF Foundation has been a genuine friend. They've brought us tons of coffee, breakfast, and even lunch. They brought me a care kit to take care of myself when I refuse to leave my daughter's side. They invite us to events to learn more about CF, to learn about the research, to help us hold on to the hope. My daughter is getting better every day, a little bit at a time; she'll be back to where she was. I'm sure of it. She may not be able to laugh like I do, but she will LIVE.

By donating to the CF Foundation through our walk, you are giving a gift of hope. Your generosity today is helping others with cystic fibrosis, as well as my daughter, find their own moments of joy. Your donation is more than just money; it's a promise for people living with CF that they, too, will live long lives filled with laughter just like yours.

 Thank you