The 2018 Honolulu Great Strides will take place Saturday June 2, 2018 at Kapiolani Park. Register for free at http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=6918
We hope you will join us in fundraising on the behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in our quest to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the first Great Strides event - 30 years of momentum to finding a cure.
In 1988 when the first Great Strides event was held, the gene responsible for CF had not yet been identified. The disease was very much still a childhood disease. So much has happened since that first walk, but we need to keep the momentum going.
In 1989, the gene responsible was identified. In 2012, the first drug to target specific mutations of the disease and treat the underlying cause was approved by the FDA for use in about 4% of the CF population. In 2015, a second drug was approved, again targeting specific mutations of the disease.
Today CF is no longer only a child hood disease. 50% of those with the disease are 18 years or older. The median life expectancy is now 47.
Despite these advancements, those with CF still struggle. They must spend hours a day on breathing treatments. They spend hours every 3 months in clinic getting checked up by multiple medical personnel. When they get sick, they may spend a couple weeks in the hospital, or at home getting extra treatments, and antibiotics. There are those with CF who need to get lung transplants because of the damage the disease does on their lungs. And there are still too many who lose their battle to the disease.
Join us as we celebrate those with CF, and raise the money to not only add more tomorrows, but to add quality tomorrows. And to find the cure that they all need.
