3rd Annual Santa Barbara Great Strides

Core Messages/Case for Support – for Donors and Volunteers

1. Cystic fibrosis is a rare, genetic disease that progressively limits the ability to breathe and tragically shortens lives. In the 1950s, children with CF rarely lived long enough to attend elementary school. Today, because of advances in research and care made possible by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the median predicted age of survival is about 40.

• More than 30,000 people are living with cystic fibrosis (70,000 worldwide).
• CF causes persistent lung infections and complications to other organs.
• Some people with CF say it feels like breathing through a straw.
• About one in every 30 Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene.
• We have a record of success in extending life, but few would say that 40 is a full life, andmany of those with CF still die in childhood.

2. The CF Foundation is a proven leader in the field of rare disease research, which has historically been underfunded by the government and pharmaceutical industry. The Foundation is recognized globally for its unprecedented and tenacious efforts in combatting this rare disease.

• Nearly every approved CF drug available today was made possible by the Foundation – including therapies that treat the underlying cause of the disease.
• Through its innovative approach to developing drugs for a rare disease, the CF Foundation has created a pipeline of promising therapies.
• TheFoundationhasbeenthesubjectoftwocasestudiesinHarvardBusinessReview and NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., has gone on record praising our success. The White House recognized the Foundation as a model of success in the 2015 State of the Union address and featured our work at its inaugural Precision Medicine Summit, which represents the forefront of medicine today.

3. We have made significant strides, but the road ahead is a long and costly one. And we will not rest until we have a cure for all people living with this devastating disease.

• Over the past 25 years alone, it has taken almost $3 billion for the Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics – our nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate – to achieve the results we have today, including dramatic improvement in life expectancy and two disease-modifying therapies.
• We will continue to invest heavily in science supporting our mission so that we can add tomorrows to the lives of those with CF – and help improve quality of life today.
• We are exploring exciting new technologies such as gene editing, RNA therapy and stem cell biology that could pave the way toward a cure for all people with CF.
• We have innovative, groundbreaking science, with 15 therapies in development in the CF Foundation Therapeutics Pipeline.
• The pioneering science we’ve developed for CF is applicable to many other diseases. 4. You are important to our progress. Please give today.
• However big or small your contribution, every gift makes an impact.
• You can make a one-time gift, become a monthly donor or make a legacy gift in your will. o You can also volunteer your time, become a CF advocate or support one of our many events across the country. Contact [insert information].