My friend, Tara, has cystic fibrosis (“CF”) and had a double lung transplant on January 1. So, as I do every year, today I am writing to you about finding a cure for cystic fibrosis ("CF").
CF is a hereditary disorder that causes the production of abnormally thick mucous that leads to blockage and severe infection of the lungs. It also affects the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down food and absorb vital nutrients. Many young adults with cystic fibrosis finish college or find jobs. Lung disease eventually worsens to the point where the person is disabled. Today, the average life span for people with CF who live to adulthood is about 37 years.
I raise money for this cause because of Tara. She was in the hospital for all of December, waiting for new lungs. I saw her a few days before her transplant and I asked her if she was scared. She said, "No, all of my friends have either died or had a transplant. It's my only option." She expected to be out of the hospital in 2 weeks and then would need to stay near Stanford for 3 months to get medication dosages figured out. Two months after the surgery, she is still in the hospital. But she is always positive and has an army of people praying for her and supporting her. Tara is a good person - she truly has a good heart - she is an amazing mom to her twins and does all she can for her family and friends while still managing her CF. She inspires me to appreciate life, treasure small moments, and use my body .... because I can. This will be a great year for her!
Today, I am asking you to do a few things:
1) Consider becoming an organ donor. You can save lives. Tara has already connected with her donor's family. Her donor was 29 years old and had a young daughter. We are thankful to her donor for giving Tara more years of life.
2) If you are healthy, and I hope you are, make good choices about your body. Some health problems, like CF, are out of our control. But many health problems can be avoided. We owe it to those who can't control their health to appreciate ours.
3) Celebrate birthdays! It's not a given that we'll be around next year. Celebrate the fact that you were born, and celebrate the fact that you are able to enjoy life for one more year.
4) Please consider making a donation to the Tara K Telford Graduate Student Award for Cystic Fibrosis Research at UC Davis (this is where I donate every year). You can do this online from the following link. Please let me know that you have donated to this fund so I can properly thank you. I will not receive a notification that you donated.
or
Consider donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through our Great Strides walk (our 9th year participating - will take place in Walnut Creek on April 30 at 10am) using this link (I will get a notification). You can also sign up to walk with us from this link.
Tara is extremely appreciative of the support that she has received from my friends and family in the past. Last year she wrote a message to my donors about her health - she can’t update it right now, but I wanted to include it anyway:
My lung function seems stable at 25% but everything I do is difficult. One of the hardest things to do every day is just get dressed. It's like a work out. My heart rate soars into the 150's and I get really out of breath, just changing my clothes and taking a shower. I am really looking forward to a new life with new lungs, if the stars align and that is what is in store for me this year. The wait time for lungs could be up to two years, so I'm really hoping it happens faster than that for me. I have to be very careful not to catch any viruses, as that can land me in the hospital with a lung infection and the list of IV antibiotics I can use is getting smaller and smaller and the complications for the antibiotics vary from becoming very anemic and possibly needing a blood transfusion to flaring up my kidney disease, all of these things cause a temporary stop of the antibiotics while my body recovers. So I have to spend all of my "tune ups" in the hospital now because I need to be watched very close and have my blood drawn every day to watch for signs of things going wrong.
Thank you so much for all your fundraising efforts over the years. You have been a steady source of motivation for me to keep going and keep fundraising. I hope you know just how much I appreciate all your efforts and appreciate all your family and friends that so unselfishly give to my cause year after year. Thank you!
After the walk I'll send our donors some pictures of us walking, thanks to your support. For donations of at least $100 Ashley and/or Thomas will draw you a picture and I will send it to you. You will also be added to my list of donors:
http://someonechristina.blogspot.com/2016/02/thank-you-for-your-cf-donation-2016.html
Post with list of last year's donors
http://someonechristina.blogspot.com/2015/02/thank-you-for-your-cf-donation-2015.html
More information about CF
