Each month through the end of the year, we’ll feature a special person or team who played an integral role in the 2010 Great Strides walks. We hope you’ll find this story, the eighth in the series, to be inspiring as we continue to make Great Strides in our efforts to find a cure for CF!

Bill & Jodi Squires

Sean Squires, 13, who has CF, shakes hands with his good friend, New York Giants Pro Bowl center Shaun O’Hara, at a Giants/Steelers pre-season game in August.

Why We Walk

Our son Sean was diagnosed with CF when he was 5. We knew we had to get involved right away in raising money to find a cure.

In 2003 we participated in Great Strides for the first time and raised $7,500. Our fundraising has grown every year since then.

Overcoming a Recent Challenge

Sean is 13 and loves playing soccer, baseball and other sports, and he’s a great student. Last October, he was hospitalized for 22 days and wasn’t able to attend school for many weeks.

Teachers came to our home to tutor Sean and to make sure he didn’t fall behind. He returned to school in April and finished off the year earning A’s and B’s.

Today Sean is doing much better, is still working on gaining back some weight and strength, and is just starting eighth grade.

Sean has to get up so much earlier than other kids his age to do his treatments, and being in the hospital last year was really tough.

But Sean doesn’t complain. He is a strong little guy. He’s our hero.

Shaun O’Hara and Sean Squires piloted the Atlantis as they sailed around the southern tip of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty this May. The Cruise for a Cure was hosted by the Shaun O’Hara Foundation and benefited Sean’s Pals and the CF Foundation.

At 6-feet-3-inches tall and 303 pounds, New York Giants Pro Bowl center Shaun O’Hara is literally our son Sean’s biggest fan. Through his foundation, Shaun began supporting Sean’s Pals and the CF Foundation in 2007.

The day after Shaun got his Super Bowl ring in 2008, he visited Sean in the hospital. He stayed for over an hour, talking with Sean and his sister Sydney and the hospital staff.

At that time, we weren’t sure what Shaun’s future career plans were, but he put us at ease when he said: “You think I’m done supporting Sean and the CF cause when I’m done playing football? No way — I’m here until we find a cure.”

Shaun is dedicated to our mission, and he has a huge heart. It’s been terrific to have him on our team.

Tips for Other Great Strides Teams

When you tell your story and give people a chance to help in some way, they’re happy to help. Sometimes people will ask us what the deadline is for making a donation.

We tell them, “The last date you can give is the day before we find a cure for CF. But the sooner you give, the sooner that money is put to work — and the faster that day comes.”

Simply put, we do whatever it takes to help in any way we can. We’re relentless!

Our Thanks

We are so grateful for everyone who supports Sean’s Pals — our family, friends, colleagues and the many people touched by our story, some of whom we haven’t even met.

It’s an amazing feeling when you see all the people who come out to walk, even on those days with bad weather. We’re all in this together.

We’re also thankful for the leadership of the CF Foundation, including Dr. Bob Beall and Rich Mattingly, as well as Greater New Jersey Chapter Executive Director Robin Vogel and the many other staff members who offer us compassion, support and motivation.

Our Dream

We would love for there to be a cure so Sean and others with cystic fibrosis don’t have to worry about their illness — there are enough worries in life without CF. 

Until that day comes, our dream is for all the kids with CF to be able to be around each other, look into each other’s eyes, and see people who are experiencing the same things they are. (Because of the threat of infection, that’s not possible right now.)

Additional Resources

• Form a Great Strides walk team today!
• Read the previous story in the Great Strides, Great Stories series.