The facts:
- 30,000 children and adults in the US have Cystic Fibrosis
- 1,000 new cases are diagnosed per year
- CF affects the lungs and pancreas with a sticky, clogging mucus
- Median age expectations for those with CF: 37
Very informational, but what does it have to do with me? Well, let me make this real for you.
Our friend Ella is five, and her family has known she has Cystic Fibrosis since she was six months old. For Ella, the CF gene affects both her pancreas and her lungs. In her pancreas, it prevents regular digestive enzymes from making it to her stomach to enable absorption of food. In her lungs, the omnipresent mucus catches anything Ella breathes in, causing infections, pneumonia and lung damage. To minimize lasting damage from this condition, Ella follows a daily routine of digestive enzymes with every ounce of food she eats, a chest vibrator to loosen the mucus in her lungs, and other medications to prevent infections and boost Ella’s immune system.
While myriad treatments are in the works, every one of those research projects needs funding from individuals in order to keep moving forward. We want Ella to have the chance for those treatments to have an effect on her life, so we’re putting our feet to the pavement this month to for Portland’s Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk. We need you to support us in that walk by donating here or here. We’ve done the math: a dollar from every person that visits this site in a week would put us well past our goal. But first, let’s let Ella introduce herself:
Thanks for taking a minute to help our friend and our walk team, Little Ella’s Elite, to make our goals.