My name is Shelby Jones, and I am a 28-year-old adult living with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a rare disease that affects about 30,000 individuals in the United States and about 70,000 individuals worldwide. Cystic Fibrosis is considered an “invisible disease” because if you were to cross paths with a “CFer” you would never know what we must go through daily. CF is a genetic lung disease that causes many lung infections and the inability to breathe over time.  The amount of thick mucus we build up in our organs (lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys) requires many different treatments and medications daily.

In 2014 I moved to Reno, Nevada to attend the University of Nevada, Reno. Unfortunately, during my college years I noticed a slow decrease in my lung function. In 2020 I hit my lowest of low at 30% lung function and was admitted to the University of Utah for IV antibiotics. The past five years I have worked rigorously on my health and found a passion for pushing my body and mind to a whole new level through weightlifting and CrossFit. This hard work and the FDA’s approval of Trikfata has allowed me to increase my lung function to 70% and live a “normal” young adult life.  
This will be my third year participating in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Yosemite Extreme Hike and the impact of this weekend is truly remarkable.  People come from all across the United States for this event and choose to push their bodies to a whole other level all while fighting to find a cure for this horrible disease. This event has allowed me to meet such wonderful people in the CF community (caretakers, family members, friends, friends of friends, etc.) and will be eternally grateful for the memories I have made the past two years while participating in this weekend. I am honored that I can participate in this event, not only because my body has been able to keep up with myself the past five years, but because I get to be a voice for my fellow Cysters and Fibros that was not given this chance. To my fellow Cysters and Fibros that have lost their life to this fight before drugs like Trikafta was invented.  

Research is what has allowed me to graduate high school, attend college, and start planning for a family. Help from you is keeping me along with 70,000 other people fighting day to day.  Real progress has been made for those who have CF, but there is still no cure for this devastating disease and many lives are cut far too short. We’ve come so far, but there’s still so much work to do. We appreciate any type of donation to help us along our journey and are presenting anyone or any business that gives a generous donation of four hundred or more by August 15th, 2025 a logo spot on all our team shirts and flyers that will be presented at the upcoming events in 2025. A few of these events will be the Great Strides Walk in Reno & Sacramento, the CF Extreme Hike in Yosemite, California, and the annual Taste for a Cure Event.