My bestie Jon Koffler has been living with Cystic Fibrosis or CF his entire life. There are so many great organizations that are fighting to find a cure for all mutations of the CF gene but I’m gonna tell you about one.
I initially found Rock CF because of their “sneaker lungs” athletic apparel. Not only do they spread awareness through their events and athletic apparel but they donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as well as donate sneakers to people living with CF through their Kicks Back program. The Rock CF Foundation is “a community thousands strong changing the face of what living with Cystic Fibrosis looks like, giving those living with CF the tools to not only survive, but thrive”.
March 26-28th Rock CF is hosting the Rock CF’s Big Weekend where the goal is to collectively run/walk/bike/row/swim 65,000 miles. When I asked Jon if there was any significant number associated to CF, he brought up the number 65. This number dates back to the “65 Roses” story from 1965 when a 4 year old, hearing the name of his disease for the first time, pronounced Cystic Fibrosis as 65 Roses. 65 Roses is still used today by young children with Cystic Fibrosis to pronounce the name of their disease. Therefore, I will be running, walking, and biking to reach my goal of 65 miles total to raise money and awareness.
100% of all proceeds from this weekend will go towards supporting CF athletes, funding research (like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation), community building and spreading awareness. Over the years, thanks to different foundations, the life expectancy for patients with CF HAS DOUBLED! That means Jon is living a lot longer than patients before him. I will forever be grateful for that.
I'm sure you're thinking, "wait a second Courtney, I don't even know what that is!" Well you came to the right place! Cystic Fibrosis is "a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time" (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation). That definition is just the tip of the knowledge iceberg. If you want to learn more about CF and the foundations, visit http://cff.org or http://letsrockcf.org!
Whether you came to my page to get more information or you came to donate, Jon & I thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Our goal is not just to raise money, but to spread awareness!
