Dear Friends and Family,

With all your help and support, I have celebrated another birthday this year as I turned 28. I am so happy that I have made it this far. I am blessed to have such a great support system in my life. You have been there for me through the good times and some bad times, but we never let Cystic Fibrosis (CF) get in the way of celebrating life. We are determined to fight this disease and find a cure. Last year, with your help and dedication for CF, we were able to raise $8,250 for the annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk. I am happy to announce that I am healthy enough to do the walk once again with my BREATHE FOR A CURE TEAM and I need all the support I can get to raise $10,000 to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. A cure that is very close to my heart (or should I say my lungs). Cystic Fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects tens of thousands of children and young adults like myself in the United States. CF damages the lungs, pancreas and other secretory organs in the body making it hard to breathe, digest food or do even simple activities such as walking or eating. Currently I am taking over 25 pills for CF, sleeping with a BiPAP machine at night, and doing four breathing treatments a day. All of this is definitely not fun but it helps me live a healthy life. I hope, with your help, we can fund the research to fix the defective gene so patients like me can live a long, productive life without having to worry about not breathing.

Tremendous strides were made in the field of CF research this year. The inhaled antibiotic CAYSTON has made a huge difference in my life in the last year. It has helped me fight infections and has kept me healthy. The Kalydeco, a new drug that targets the defective protein has been approved by the FDA for two genes. This is a huge milestone in CF therapy because it is actually targeting the defect so patients like me can breathe easy. The CF support group for Northwestern Memorial Hospital patients has helped me and other CF patients greatly improve the psychological effects of CF. It is hard to fight CF alone, so we need you to join this fight and not give up on us.

Please join me in raising money for the annual Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest and most successful national fund-raising event. This year, I'm walking in the Great Strides walk at Grant Park on June 2, 2012. Please help me meet my fund-raising goal of $3,000 by sponsoring me. Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively, as nearly 90 cents of every dollar of revenue raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education.

Making a donation is easy and secure! Just click the "Click to Donate" button on this page to go to make a donation that will be credited to my team. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated! Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with CF! Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation and Great Strides! For more information on CF, visit my daily blog at www.friends4cf.com or www.cff.org.