BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Dreams Great Strides for CF

CF is a genetic mutation of the lungs that causes lifelong disability. While many are living longer due to advances in treatment, those with good care are still lucky to live into their 30's and many still die in infancy and childhood. Good care is critical and those who don't have access to it have shorter lives.

CF is a lifelong disability. Life involves chronic coughing, oxygen support, tons of medications, hospital stays, diabetes and arthritis. It is progressive - it gets worse over time. One infection can kill someone in a matter of hours.

My husband has CF. He is the oldest in our area at 39 and is awaiting a lung transplant. His younger sister also had CF and died at age 18.

Learn more here:

CF Foundation

May is the annual Great Strides Walk. To learn more:

Great Strides

Our walk in Tulsa is this weekend. I'm trying to get there around my work schedule.

Where just some of the money goes:

CF Solutions in Tulsa is a small part. Started by a nurse who lost a child to CF and named in memory of a doctor's assistant's daughter who also died, they provide nursing, therapy, meds and equipment that insurance doesn't cover or to those without insurance. For instance, hubby has 10+ scrips to stay alive and disability only covers two.

They also have the only CF specific pulmonary rehab program in the country, which hubby just started. It gets people through to lung transplant and helps them recover faster in addition to improving physical condition and quality of life <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />