CF Fundraising - 2026 - 17th year!
Hello everyone!
This is my 17th year raising money to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis, and I do it in memory of my dear friend Tara, who passed away on November 18, 2017.
Many of you have never met Tara - but she knew about you. She knew that people who had never crossed her path chose to care about her, and that meant everything to her. It meant everything to me too. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAST DONATION!
Tara was full of positivity throughout her entire life - through illnesses, hospital stays, medications, pain, and uncertainty. She made the world feel a little brighter just by being in it. She is a reminder that life is precious, life is short, and that everything is going to be OK. Have hope.
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GREAT NEWS FROM PAUL (TARA'S HUSBAND)I heard from Paul in August and wanted to share this update: the UC Davis fund has grown enough this year to support TWO grants — meaning two graduate students are receiving funding for cystic fibrosis research. That is your impact. Every donation, at every amount, over all these years, made that possible. Thank you.
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HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP THIS YEAR:
1) DONATE — any amount, any size. Seriously, $5 matters.
→ The Tara K. Telford Graduate Student Award for CF Research at UC Davis:
https://give.ucdavis.edu/
(Please let me know if you donate here - I won't receive a notification automatically.)
→ OR donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through our Great Strides Walk in Walnut Creek (May 9, 2026 — my 16th year participating!):
https://fundraise.cff.org/
(You can also sign up to walk with us - I'd love the company!)
A list of this year's donors can be found here:
https://nystromfam.blogspot.
A post about last year's walk:
https://nystromfam.blogspot.com/2025/05/cystic-fibrosis-great-strides-2025.html
2) BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR. BECOME A BLOOD DONOR.
Tara received a life-saving double lung transplant in 2016. Her donor's name was Becky - 29 years old, with an 8-year-old daughter. Becky's family's gift gave Tara more time, more hope, more life. Please consider registering as a donor. It could save someone's world.
3) TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY.
If you are healthy, make good choices. We owe it to those who cannot control their health to appreciate and protect our own.
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I know there are so many deserving causes out there. I'm not asking for a big check - I'm asking for any amount, from as many people as possible. More donors means more momentum. More momentum means more research. More research means more hope.
Thank you for 17 years of showing up for Tara.
With gratitude,
Christina
Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs.
There are close to 40,000 children and adults living with cystic fibrosis in the United States (and an estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries), and CF can affect people of every racial and ethnic group.
In people with CF, mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause the CFTR protein to become dysfunctional. When the protein is not working correctly, it’s unable to help move chloride — a component of salt — to the cell surface. Without the chloride to attract water to the cell surface, the mucus in various organs becomes thick and sticky.
In the lungs, the mucus clogs the airways and traps germs, like bacteria, leading to infections, inflammation, respiratory failure, and other complications. For this reason, avoiding germs is a top concern for people with CF.
In the pancreas, the buildup of mucus prevents the release of digestive enzymes that help the body absorb food and key nutrients, resulting in malnutrition and poor growth. In the liver, the thick mucus can block the bile duct, causing liver disease. In men, CF can affect their ability to have children.
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