This feature focuses on a special person or
team who played an integral role in the 2012 Great Strides walks. We hope you'll
find this story to be inspiring as we continue to make Great Strides in our
efforts to find a cure for CF!
Walk: Manhattan,
NY, walk held June 3, 2012
Chapter: Greater
New York Chapter
Team: Matthew's Warriors led by
Robert Corti, whose grandson Matthew, 2, has CF.
Impact:
Raised nearly $110,000
Why I Walk
Robert
Corti, pictured holding his grandson, Matthew, 2, who has CF, says he's at war
with the disease. He dreams of a day when every person with cystic fibrosis can
live a full, meaningful life.
My grandson, Matthew, was diagnosed with
cystic fibrosis on November 11, 2010. When I got the call, it was quite a shock.
Like most people, I went through the stages of grief: denial, anger, sadness.
Then I came to acceptance and that allowed me to do something about it.
I
can't be a scientist finding a cure, so this is what I have to do - raise the
money to fund the science. It's what we all have to do. We don't have a
choice.
We're doing this not just for our kids, but for all kids with CF.
Even if Matthew was blessed to be one of the 4 percent on Kalydeco™, I'd still
be doing this walk. We're at war with this disease.
What
Motivates Me
I am so grateful to all of the people who have
contributed to this cause. When I first started fundraising, I had no idea how I
was going to raise so much money. The thought of picking up the phone and asking
for money terrified me, so I decided to send emails instead.
Within an
hour of the first email I sent, I got a contribution. I felt so encouraged. I
sent out another wave of emails and more donations came in. Then I sent out a
third. Each grouping of emails brought in more donations and before I knew it,
we had surpassed our fundraising goal.
One donor in particular really
touched me - a woman who I know is struggling financially donated $25 to
Matthew's Warriors when she really couldn't afford to donate anything. It's
things like that that really motivate me to keep going.
Matthew,
2, was diagnosed with CF via a sweat test. His grandfather says he's a happy
baby who loves to watch planes land and stare at the moon.
My Advice
for Other Great Strides TeamsAs painful as it is, you have to talk
about this disease. People want to help, but they can't read your mind. You have
to educate others about CF, what it is and how they can help.
I would
also encourage teams to ask donors if their employers have a matching gift
program. These programs are like magic. If an employee donates, their company
will sometimes double or triple that donation - but the employee has to ask. As
a fundraiser, it's important to ask people to take this one extra step to see if
their company will match their gift. I've found that most organizations
will.
My Dream
My dream would be that science and
research makes CF a condition people can live with. I want everyone with CF to
have the ability to live a full, meaningful life. That would be a gift.
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