goodandevil

The Good | Charitable Charities

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic defect that affects glandular processes on the cellular level. It leads to deteriorated lung function and impaired digestion, as well as the chronic inflammation of many important organs.

Fortunately, not many people have the disease. While it’s popular among its class of illness, total United States patient counts number in the tens of thousands, usually between thirty and forty. For all the cancers and AIDS victims out there, that doesn’t seem like a huge base of people to work with.

Extra-fortunately, there is a single organization out there that works at such a feverish pace, and on so many levels, to treat the disease on a symptom and cure level, that you’d think they were out to treat the common cold.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at http://www.cff.org/ is not only a great informational resource, with everything from reports and charts to live video lectures question and answer sessions, but also finances and monitors drug programs, provides need-based assistance for disenfranchised patients, and consistently ranks among the top charities in terms of both its business model and its efficiency in taking donated monies from the site and special events and making sure it goes toward the medicine.

Recently it was revealed in tests that a new compound has been developed which appears to correct the basic defect caused by the illness, in certain individuals with a particular mutation. I’ve lived for almost a quarter-century with the disease, and while I’m blessed to have what seems to be a mild case, I owe it to those less fortunate than myself to spread the word when we’re so close to doing what so few diseases get to do, and that’s to avoid the rat race and business end of things - a.k.a., “There’s no money in a cure,” as they say - and finally reach an endgame.

Please consider donating this holiday season.