Ashley Saffell's Fundraiser:
Crowther Marathons for CF
BENEFITING: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
ORGANIZER: janna
THE STORY:
janna crowther wrote -
My husband, Dan, and I will be running in 4 marathons and several half marathons within the next year. We're taking on this challenge to raise awareness, but more importantly, MONEY for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Our daughter Elizabeth's (Bitsy) best friend, Elizabeth (Beth), has Cystic Fibrosis (CF). They met the first day of 6th Grade and became instant friends. They share a name and many interests. The Elizabeths are funny, energetic and goof around like most "normal" teenage girls. However, Beth is far from normal. Just to spend the night with a friend requires a backpack full of medication and a suitcase of machinery for treatments. There is no cure for Cystic Fibrosis but research is prolonging and enriching lives of CF patients like Elizabeth through vital research funded by donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Elizabeths can be friends because of this vital research and I am hoping they will be able to grow old and share life's many memories when Cystic Fibrosis is cured and Beth can have a 'normal" life!
What Is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:
clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.
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