“There are eightwalks we put on across Washington and Alaska,” states Washington CFF Development Director, Anna Lester. Circa the 1950’s the average child living with the disease rarely made it to elementary school. Due to years of research and scientific advancement, the average lifetime for people living with CF has increased significantly to the age of forty. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than thirty-thousand people are living with CF nationwide. People living with CF are prone to respiratory and pancreatic issues and also a number of infections due to bacteria buildup. Since then, the walk continues to raise awareness, helping the community get a better understanding of what CF actually is.ĬF is a rare, complex genetic disease which causes an excessive buildup of thick mucus in the lungs as well as the pancreas and other organs throughout the body. Great Strides Tulalip was organized by two local mothers of children living with cystic fibrosis (CF) who wanted to help find a cure for the life-threatening disease. 2018 marks the organization’s thirtieth anniversary as well as the tenth anniversary since the first Great Strides Walk took place here in Tulalip. On the morning of July 7, over one-hundred and fifty community members laced up their best pair of walking shoes and gathered at the Tulalip Amphitheater for the annual Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Walk.
