The Nebraska Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has launched Great Strides, a national walk event. Walks will be held in hundreds of cities throughout the year to generate funds to fight cystic fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease.
In Nebraska, a walk was held in Omaha on May 4. Other Nebraska cities hosting walks include:
- Lincoln — Saturday, May 18;
- North Platte — Saturday, Aug. 24;
- Grand Island — Sunday, Sept. 15; and
- Kearney — Sunday, Sept. 22.
Thanks to medical advances, dramatic progress has been made in the treatment of CF patients. Fifty years ago, most children with CF did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, people with CF are living into their 30s, 40s and beyond. Cystic fibrosis affects about 30,000 adults and children in the United States and 70,000 people worldwide. It causes debilitating lung infections that lead to premature death. More than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of a defective CF gene.
To register for Great Strides, call the Nebraska Chapter at 402-330-6164 or visit the Great Strides web site.
UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center take care of most CF patients in the region. Last year, UNMC received nearly $200,000 in support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Nebraska Chapter raised more than $1.1 million in 2012 to fight cystic fibrosis.