Cystic Fibrosis Walk: Adding Tomorrows

If you follow me on instagram, I know you’ve seen my uber-adorable grandniece!

Doctors told my niece she would probably never be able to get pregnant. Obviously, God had something else to say about that, but the unexpected timing meant that Sarah wasn’t done with her education degree before Riley came along. So, while Sarah is student teaching, we play with a baby.

There’s something besides her sweet personality and total adorableness that makes this little gal special: at nine days old, Riley was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Sarah (a.k.a. “Riley’s mommy”) is fundraising for the annual “Great Strides” Walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and I’d like to help her.

Top Ten Reasons to Contribute to Great Strides:

1) May is cystic fibrosis awareness month — coming up soon!

2) Great progress has already been made. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30’s and beyond.

3) But 30+ years isn’t very old. I want my grandniece to grow old enough not only to have kids of her own, but old enough even to know and love her grand-babies.

4) Over 30,000 Americans (and over 70,000 people worldwide) live with this disease; it affects the lungs and the digestive system, which can make daily life difficult.

{Riley will get a vest like the one in the video when she is a little older. Right now, this is done manually, twice a day.}

5) An event like this offers encouragement to ALL those affected by cystic fibrosis, both the patients and everyone who loves them!

6) Thanks to research, medication has stopped progression of the disease in 5% of cystic fibrosis cases! This is great news, but there is currently no treatment for Riley’s mutation of CF — yet. More clinical trials are being done, and other CF patients are hopeful they will soon have the same kind of victory.

7) About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.

8) Cystic fibrosis is an inherited genetic disease, but over 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers. We had no idea anyone in the family was a carrier; this means someone you love could be a carrier, too.

9) This little gal — the smiliest baby I’ve ever known — has already had one lung-related hospital stay. I don’t like that.

10) Top reason to donate: HOW can you resist a face like that!?!

Please consider donating any amount. Even $1 goes a long way to offer encouragement that there are lots of people who care! I’d love for my niece to see all sorts of $1 (or more, if you want) donations from blogland! Just click HERE to add your contribution — and please add a little something in the comment area about See Jamie Blog or “friend of Aunt Jamie” so Sarah will know where these donations are coming from! 😉

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

(See more “Top Ten Tuesday” posts.)

Jamie

Wife, mom, grandma. Introvert who finds joy in good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Fitness enthusiast and personal trainer. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand.