Running for Octavia — and Everyone Fighting CF

Cystic fibrosis has been part of our family's life for 24 years. My daughter Octavia was born with CF, and every single day she faces what most people will never fully understand — the relentless work of breathing, fighting infections, and managing a disease that touches nearly every vital organ. CF attacks the lungs, the pancreas, and more, making something as simple as drawing a breath an ongoing battle.

There is still no cure. And that is simply not acceptable.

For the past 15 years, I have laced up my shoes and shown up for this fight — because Octavia shows up for it every single day without a choice. On May 1st, I'll be running 50 kilometers in the Xtreme Hike for a Cure, pushing through whatever the trail throws at me, because the finish line matters far less than the one we're all chasing together: a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Here's something that gives me hope — and proof that your support works. Octavia is currently on Trikafta, a breakthrough drug that has genuinely changed her life. It was developed thanks in large part to the research funded by donations like yours. That is not a small thing. That is science turning generosity into medicine, and medicine giving my daughter a better life. But Trikafta is not a cure. It is a remarkable step forward, not the finish line.

Every person living with CF walks a different path. Some have benefited enormously from Trikafta and treatments like it. Others are still waiting for science to catch up to their specific mutation, their specific fight. The work is not done. The road ahead is still long for far too many families living with this disease.

My goal is to raise $3,000. Every dollar goes directly toward advancing the research needed to give Octavia — and the thousands of others fighting CF — a better shot at a long, healthy life.

Will you run this road with us? A donation of any size brings us one step closer to the finish line that truly matters.