Cystic fibrosis has been in the collective conscious this
year. A recent contestant on American Idol has CF; Salt in My Soul, a heart wrenching posthumous
memoir from CF’er Mallory Smith, was released to universal acclaim, and Five Feet Apart, a mainstream Hollywood
feature film tackling the illness was not only a critical success, but a box
office hit.
More and more people are becoming aware of cystic fibrosis
and asking, “What can I do to help?”
This year’s Great Strides is a mere two weeks away. As with
every year in the past 17 of Jacob’s life, I’m reaching out for your help.
This past year has been Jacob’s most challenging yet. Three
stays in the hospital resulting in pic lines for at-home antibiotic treatments,
and just recently a surgery to have a feeding tube placed in his stomach for
supplemental nourishment. Throughout ever challenge he faces, Jacob continues
to maintain his humor and positive outlook.
And throughout it all, Jacob’s sister, Sophie, his mom,
Julie, and I continue our fight to bring an end to cystic fibrosis. The work
continues.
Since the CF gene was discovered in the early 1990s, the CF
Foundation has work tirelessly to help fund life changing medicines that are
nothing short of miraculous.
Currently there are new treatments in the works that will soon
be available to prolong and improve the lives tenfold of people living with
this horrible illness.
This is not hyperbole.
Within a year, Jacob’s life could change dramatically, as a new drug
combination becomes available that targets his specific CF genes.
This breakthrough makes me cry, thinking of the struggles
Jacob has endured, and praying that many of his burdens will be lifted, not
only physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
I also think about those families who lost the fight to CF
and won’t be able to experience this joy, and the families who’ll still wait
for the day when their doctor tells them that the medicine is available for
them.
We still need your help. And, as I say year in and year out, every single dollar
helps.
Think about your Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music or
Amazon subscriptions. Can you spare what you pay them each month to help end
cystic fibrosis? Perhaps a little more?
In less than 30 years, the CF Foundation has literally changed
the world and the lives of generations of families living with CF. With a cure so close, they’re not giving up,
and neither can we.
Please follow this link. Please donate. And please help
change the meaning of “CF” from cystic fibrosis to “cure found.”
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