Ben's Brigade - Fighting to Cure Cystic Fibrosis

In May 2013, at 6 weeks old, our sweet Baby Ben was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a chronic (terminal) genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. The median life expectancy for someone with CF is only 41 years. There is no cure.

Every day Ben has to take medication to help his body function properly. At 9 months old he takes about 20 pills a day (two with every meal or snack) so his body can absorb and break down the nutrients in his food. He has to do two breathing treatments every day, followed by 20 minutes of chest physiotherapy each time—and that’s when he’s not sick. He takes special vitamins every day, as well as reflux medication that helps his stomach process all of his meds. Ben also needs extra salt each day, since CF makes his body lose salt more quickly.

But Ben doesn’t let CF get him down, and we try to follow his example. He is a happy baby boy who loves his big sister and his dog. He loves dancing to music, bouncing, and trying to escape through the dog door. When we take him to football and basketball games at the high school, his excited clapping and incredible flirting skills have even been known to distract the cheerleaders from their job!

You can help us keep Ben happy and healthy. Research funded entirely by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has led to groundbreaking drugs that are showing so much promise in the treatment of the disease. For the first time, there is HOPE that a cure is finally on the horizon. However, curing CF is not considered profitable enough for big pharmaceutical companies, so it is only through grass-roots campaigns and fundraising events like Great Strides, merchandise sales, and generous donations from friends and family that this research has been funded.

There are approximately 1800 known mutations that cause CF, and these promising new drugs only work on 4% of them so far. Clinical trials are going on right now for Ben's specific mutation combination, so it's more important to us than ever that this research continue.

Please take this opportunity to be a part of this incredible research, and join us in our efforts to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis, by purchasing a shirt or making a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

We can't thank you enough for your support. Smokey, Steph, Marley, and Ben