As I celebrated my 28th birthday today, I realized there was one thing I’d never done.

I’ve never truly shared what it means to live with cystic fibrosis, and I’ve never asked others to join me in supporting a cause that’s so deeply personal to me.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. While it’s been a part of my life since the day I was born, I’ve never wanted it to define me. Most people know me as Aya—a pharmacist, a daughter, a sister, and a friend—not as someone living with CF.

But the truth is, so much of the life I’ve been blessed to live exists because of the people who came before me. Researchers who dedicated their careers to finding better treatments. Healthcare professionals who never stopped fighting for their patients. Families, advocates, and donors who believed that people with CF deserved longer, healthier, fuller lives.

Because of them, my story looks different than it would have just a generation ago.

I get to celebrate my 28th birthday. I got to become a pharmacist. I completed residency. I get to dream about the future.

This fundraiser is my way of saying thank you—and of helping make sure the next generation of children born with CF has even more hope than I did.

If you’d like to celebrate this birthday with me, I’d be honored if you considered supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Every contribution helps move us closer to better treatments and, one day, a cure.

Thank you for being part of my life, and thank you for taking the time to read this 💜💜💜