Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know, our daughter, Ava Layne was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis a year ago this April. Hardly a date to celebrate, however as with most things the initial shock and disbelief have worn off and we are now ready to roll our sleeves up and get involved. Cystic Fibrosis is not only Ava's disease it is our whole family's disease. It does more than reside in Ava's little body; Cystic Fibrosis also eats away at the heart and souls of all that love and care for her. That is why I am writing you today, we need your help to make a difference.

Ava is happy, loving, bright and curious 3-year old, full of energy and a vocablulary that makes her sound older than her years. She is pure and sweet and all things good. Every day with her is a true blessing. As you might expect, there are times when David and I are consumed by the obvious questions, the "why, when, and what if" make us feel so helpless. However, it occurred to me the other day the time spent wondering why is wasted and the best thing we can do for our girl is get involved and be proactive in every sense of the word.

On the outside Ava is a typical 3-year old but on the inside she is different. Different because since birth, her body has been creating extra thick mucus inside the lining of her organs- basically, the mucus impairs digestion, clogs airways and eventually leads to chronic and/or life threatening lung infections. One half of all individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) are now living into their 30's and one half do not. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making great strides in new medications and therapies that are improving the quality of life for those with CF, but we still lose precious lives to CF every day.

This is why I am writing to you today. We need your help. Last year, my sister Kelly started TEAM AVA in Mint Hill, NC and they raised more than $2,500 in just ten days. This year, TEAM AVA will walk at Chesapeake CIty Park on APRIL 21st at 10 a.m. with high hopes and a fund-raising goal of $5,000. Fortunately, we live in an exciting era of medical science-while the ultimate goal of curing CF has not been achieved, profound advances in treating and understanding CF has given Ava the chance to live a longer, healthier life.

Now in it's 51st year the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation finds itself at a critical state. CF research opportunities are outpacing the ability to be funded. This is why we are asking for your help NOW. It is a race against time for Ava and thousands of others like her. David and I would be so honored if you would donate and/or sponser TEAM AVA and help us find a cure for CF.

Ninety-four cents of every dollar raised goes directly toward vital medical research and all the donations are tax deductible and more appreciated than you'll ever know.

If we all joined together to walk and in turn just ask a few friends, coworkers, family members to sponser us, think what a difference we could make?

Ava does not know she has CF. I am sure one day in the near future we will have to explain to her that she has this awful disease. As her parents, David and I struggle every day with the emotions of inevitability and feelings of helplessness. The one thing we also share is HOPE. HOPE is what gets us up each morning to do her 30 minutes of therapies which require her to wear an airway clearance vest to loosen any thick sticky mucus while inhaling medications in her nebulizer. HOPE is repeating the process all over again before she goes to sleep. HOPE is convincing a 3-year old that her 2-daily doses of antacid and vitamins, as many as 12 enzyme capsules a day will help keep her healthy as possible before the destructive process of CF causes too much damage. HOPE is what inspires us to do all we can do to make a difference in our precious Ava's life and thousands of others like her.

YOU CAN HELP......................

1. Make a donation online it is easy and secure, just click "to donate" button on this page

2. Donate by check made payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and forwarded to me Robyn Crow 106 North Pointe Rd. South Mills, NC 27976

3. Be an ANGEL WALKER- you can help us raise money by showing this letter to your friends and family and ask for donations and we will walk for you.

4. Keep Ava and the 30,000 others with CF in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for supporting this cause, my family is forever grateful.

TOGETHER we can make CF stand for CURE FOUND!!!!!!

In love and hope,

Robyn & David Crow