I have decided to do the Waco 70.3 Ironman Relay with two of my friends: Kara Kenter and Christina Martinez. Our team name: CF Choose Strong, adapted from an amazing inspirational ultra runner named Sally McRae, who has overcome some massive battles in her past. We can't always change the situation, but we can always choose to be strong. On October 15th, 2023 I will be racing the bike portion of the relay. I will be riding 56 miles and will have to ride fast enough to make the cutoff. I am using this event to raise money to help those living with Cystic Fibrosis.

I am 40 years old and have Cystic Fibrosis. My lung function is currently about 59% and I am enjoying the amazing gift that God has given me to participate in these type of events. In 2019, I was fighting hard. I made my health my full-time job around 2012 and had been battling hard for a while. I started coughing up blood and was still trying to exercise 2 times a day and doing 5 breathing treatments a day just to clear out the excess amounts of mucus in my chest every day. I was getting worn out. On November 19, 2019, God blessed me with the opportunity to start a new medicine called Trikafta. My lung function was about 43%, I weighed about 123lbs and was still battling with hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Within a few weeks my lung function jumped to 45% and I had gained 5 pounds. Now, almost 4 years later, my lung function is about 59% and I am about 140lbs. While I still have a chronic lung infection, I am able to manage my CF much better. I am down to 2 to 3 treatments per day (usually 3), I still exercise daily but I can take rest days without the burden of excess mucus filling my lungs. Before Trikafta, I could hardly run a mile. In fact, my running was mainly walk/jog intervals. Now I can run a mile straight and I in the last year I have successfully hiked Guadalupe Peak (tallest peak in Texas), the South Rim to Emory Peak in Big Bend, biked 41 miles for CF Cycle for Life, and completed two sprint triathlons. I am enjoying this gift from God.

But some with CF do not have these opportunities and are still battling every day because their mutation is not treatable with Trikafta or any other medicine available. They still battle as I did before Trikafta. Some can not tolerate Trikafta due to side effects; and for some, Trikafta simply doesn't work. There are those who are battling with CF related diabetes, CF liver disease, and/or multi-drug resistant lung infections. Some are post transplant and are battling the complications that come with that. These are the people I am racing for. The CF Foundation funds research and support systems for those who are battling and will not stop until a cure has been found for Cystic Fibrosis. This is where your donation will go.

Please join me in fighting for those warriors who battle every day!

I am committed to helping find a cure for cystic fibrosis and am raising funds to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Contributions to my personal fundraising page go to the Annual Fund which provide important, unrestricted resources that help develop new treatments and pursue every opportunity for promising research that can lead to a cure. Please consider making a gift today. Your support will help make a difference for all those with CF and their families. Thank you!