Cystic Fibrosis Trust Starts Online Thank You Campaign

One of the ways the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year is through a month-long Thank You campaign, meant to cap off the year on a high note, and with a surge of hope. The UK not-for-profit organization created a website for the campaign, and is encouraging everyone to leave a thank you note to anyone who made a difference in the CF community in their own way.

“Our 50th year has been all about recognising everyone who has made a contribution to our fight to beat cystic fibrosis for good,” said James Shaddock, Social Media Executive for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. “As it ends, we want to say a huge thanks to all of them and to all those who stand with us, from fundraisers and clinicians to friends and the whole British public.”

Everyday, researchers are hard at work at testing and developing improved treatments and potential solutions to cystic fibrosis. Members of the CF community have the option to post a written message, and/or video or picture, dedicated to giving due recognition to those who made a contribution to the community or to the patient in 2014. Participating in the Trust’s Thank You Campaign is absolutely free, but donations are encouraged.

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Shaddock adds, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust wants to drive community involvement through the campaign by providing its members an opportunity to publicly recognize the small and large efforts countless people have made and continue to make to help improve the lives of people with this disease. “Everyone, from patients to researchers, has someone who has made a difference to them and we want to celebrate that.”

One of the aggravating effects of cystic fibrosis is lung dehydration, as dry, stubborn mucus buildup can serve as breeding grounds for bacteria. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust together with the children’s charity Action Medical Research, are sponsoring laboratory tests of an inhaled synthetic molecule called siRNA that has shown the ability to deactivate the gene ENaC, thus protecting the lung from dehydration. The entire research project is estimate to cost £150,000, one-third of which is funded by the Trust.