Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a fatal genetic disease that affects between 30,000 – 40,000 people in the United States. CF affects a person’s digestive and respiratory systems. The average age of survival for a person with CF is 38 years. Gracie Rasner – age 6 – has cystic fibrosis. She is a normal, active 6 year old with a very strong spirit. She is a first grade student in Dorchester District Two. She lives life to the fullest every day. She rarely complains of her daily treatments and long list of medicines she has to take just to maintain what is normal health for a person with CF. Gracie gets up every morning 30 minutes early at 5:45 to do her breathing treatments and respiratory therapy. Every evening, she has another 30 minutes of treatments. Every time she eats, she has to take medicine to help digest her digest her food. She often talks about the day she will have no more “jiggle vest.”
Gracie is very excited about the Cystic Fibrosis Cupcake Run/Walk 5K. This is the first year of this event and we hope to make it a success for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has teamed up with pharmaceutical companies to develop new medicines that are adding decades of life to people with CF. Thanks to the research of these companies, the average age of survival has increased from only 23 years of age 15 years ago. This research takes money. CF is a low population disease, which means it does not receive federal funding. The money that is raised is the only money used to fund this research. Gracie’s family and friends have formed a group called Gracie's Crew and their goal is to help raise money to find a cure and allow Gracie to have a normal life expectancy.
The CF Cupcake 5K Run/Walk is going to start at 9:00 a.m. on March 3rd at William M. Reeves Elementary in Summerville, SC. The event will also have a 1 mile Fun Run at 10am. Gracie and her family and friends welcome you to join them at the run/walk and help make CF stand for Cure Found!
No comments:
Post a Comment