‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ creator wins award for spotlighting CF
Leah McKendrick honored for portrayal of CF lived experience
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Writer, director, and actor Leah McKendrick has been selected as the winner of the 2026 Clairity Spotlight Award in recognition of her work raising awareness of cystic fibrosis (CF).
McKendrick is the creator of the Netflix romantic comedy “Voicemails for Isabelle.”
This award is given each year by Claire’s Place Foundation, a nonprofit that provides support for kids with CF and their families.
“I am honored to be receiving the 2026 Clairity Spotlight Award,” McKendrick said in a foundation press release. “Cystic fibrosis, like so many chronic illnesses, has long been underrepresented in pop culture – or portrayed in a way that fails to capture the full rainbow spectrum of those living with it.”
McKendrick said the character Isabelle, who has CF, is much like Claire Wineland, a CF patient who founded Claire’s Place when she was 13. Wineland died in 2018 at the age of 21.
“I wanted audiences to fall in love with a character who is darkly funny, relatably chaotic, sparkling and brave and also happens to have CF,” McKendrick said. “Isabelle is so much more than her illness – she is the human embodiment of hope and hilarity – just as Claire was. Claire was a source of inspiration for me as I made Voicemails, and I am deeply grateful to play a small part in continuing her legacy of joy, courage and radical vulnerability.”
Film shows that people with CF are ‘so much more than their diagnosis’
Claire’s Place gives the Clairity Spotlight Award to storytellers whose work shines a light on the CF community and helps spark conversations about this rare genetic disease.
“Claire believed that stories could change hearts, and Leah has done exactly that,” said Melissa Yeager, executive director of the foundation. “Through Voicemails for Isabelle, she has introduced millions of people to cystic fibrosis with honesty, humor and humanity. She created a character audiences fell in love with while showing that people living with CF are so much more than their diagnosis. We are thrilled to honor Leah for using her extraordinary talent to continue changing perceptions and helping Claire’s message reach even more people.”
McKendrick will be honored at a fundraising event on Sept. 19 aboard the FantaSea One Yacht in Marina del Rey, California. The event, Sunset Royale: An Evening on the Water Celebrating 15 Years of Claire’s Legacy, celebrates the foundation’s 15th anniversary.
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