Celebrating our fundraising branches

My cousin Donna was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) in 1982. Back then very little was known about the condition. There was no internet, so you couldn’t just Google it like you can today. There was hardly any research, and we were told that this little baby might not even make the age of 18. At school I remember having to write about something that scared me and I wrote that my cousin won’t get better. That is the only time in my life that I got an A in English! The teacher said she cried when she read it.

When Donna turned 18, against the odds, I vowed to raise £1,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Trust. I raised that in two months so decided to keep going for the rest of the year and see how much more I could raise. Then it was £5,000 and £10,000 and suddenly I had the fundraising bug. My total right now stands at £84,333 – so now I want to reach £100,000! 

I’ve been fundraising for the Trust through the Fakenham branch for over 20 years. I’ve raised money in lots of different ways; from quiz sheets to fashion shows to bingo nights – my motto is ‘every penny counts!’ 

I know my fundraising has contributed to CF research over the years and that’s really important to me because I’ve seen firsthand what a difference Kaftrio has made to Donna’s life. She’s now 42 and has a 9-year-old son! I asked her how Kaftrio made her feel and she said, ‘Like a new woman. I can breathe again. I’ve got my life back and that’s down to you…’ To hear those words made every single minute of fundraising worth it. Helping people with CF in my own way is what I set out to do. But I never thought I’d be able to make a difference to people who’ve got the condition right now; I thought it would just be the next generation. So it’s an amazing feeling to know I’ve helped Donna and how grateful she is for the work I do with the Fakenham branch. But none of it would have been possible without all the people who have supported me over the past 20 years, especially my Aunt Bridget, Donna’s mum. 

20 years ago, I remember being part of the Trust’s 40th anniversary and now here I am part of the 60th anniversary issue of CF Life. Before the next big milestone, I really hope CF is something we can talk about in the past not the present. I hope there will be a cure and we can see off CF once and for all.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Sharon and all the wonderful supporters who make up our fundraising branches. If you’d like to find out how you can get involved with your local branch, contact us at [email protected].

For 60 years we've worked together, sharing moments of frustration, despair and hope, overcoming challenges, and celebrating breakthroughs. Always learning and moving forward.  

We won't stop until CF does. With your support, we can get closer to a life unlimited. 

Donate now