“I’m fundraising to help everyone with CF to live a life unlimited”: Margherita’s Great Strides™ story

I’m Margherita, I’m 21 and I come from Venice, Italy. I’m currently a third-year student in Molecular Bioengineering at Imperial College London, where I met my boyfriend, Pierre. Pierre is smart, fun and brilliant! All our friends would agree that he’s always laughing and bringing positive vibes.

Pierre moved to London from France 12 years ago. He was diagnosed with CF when he was only a few days old. When he was born, he had peritonitis, which made the doctors suspect he had CF. His health has its highs and lows; he often has stomach aches, or times when he coughs a lot and has to take antibiotics, but also periods when he is very healthy and doesn’t have any symptoms. When I met Pierre, he was already taking Kaftrio, but he’s talked a lot about how he has benefitted from it.

Pierre has always been very open about having CF. I’d heard of the condition before we met, but I didn’t really know what it meant. But I soon realised how strong Pierre is. He’s very diligent; he takes his medicines and does his physio. He never complains. I know CF plays a fundamental role in his life, and I admire him for his strength and resilience. I’m fundraising to help everyone with CF to live a life unlimited and not accept any restraints.

Why I’m fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Searching anything CF-related on the internet can be overwhelming. Most of the information can be just statistics and facts. But the information provided by the Trust is reliable and helpful for day-to-day life, from how to deal with everyday bellyache to diet and lifestyle information.

It's strange to me that despite 1 in 25 people having the faulty gene that causes CF, and it affecting so many people, that not many people know much about CF. I think it’s important to raise awareness of CF, so this is one of the goals of my own fundraising. I would like people to know more about this condition and talk about it openly. That is what I have been trying to do on social media, explaining what CF is before asking for a donation.

My training plan

Since I’m based in London and don’t have much opportunity to get out into the outdoors, I currently train by going to the gym and swimming pool twice a week and cycling every day to university. My advice is to get yourself a training routine and try your best to follow it. It used to happen quite often that I would neglect sports just because I am overwhelmed with work and studying, but I have learnt to always keep a little time for myself. Just giving myself that  break to make sure my body is ok, would allow me to increase my performance and productivity in studying and work as well.

My top tips for fundraising

This is my first time fundraising, but Pierre’s family have done lots of fundraising for the Trust. Pierre’s mum has organised concerts and fairs to raise money and his sister, Camille, even skydived for Cystic Fibrosis Trust a few years ago! So I’m really motivated by them. I think my top tips for fundraising would be:

• Make sure you have a short and simple story to share (if you send a long message in a group chat, it is very likely not going to be read).
• If someone says they’re going to donate later, make sure to remind them! Talk to them about your training or fundraising, or share it on social media so they’ll see it again.

Sponsor Margherita on JustGiving

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition which causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects more than 10,800 people in the UK. One in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.

Since 1964, we've supported people with cystic fibrosis to live longer, healthier lives - and we won’t stop until everyone can live without limits imposed by CF.

Great Strides™ is Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s charity walking challenge. Our 20km, 40km and 65km distance routes take place in two of the most beautiful locations in Wales and England.