Dear friends,

I invite you to donate any amount. Even better, come out and climb the stairs WITH me!

Date:  October 17, 2015 at 9:00 am

Location:  Arizona Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Donation Link: http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/Climb/6_Arizona_Phoenix?px=2569145&pg=personal&fr_id=3930

Due to the generous support of individuals like you, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has improved care centers and created almost every drug on the market that has contributed to adding tomorrows for CF patients.

Life Expectancy for Cystic Fibrosis

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is turning 60 years old this year. In those 6 decades, it has accomplished so much. At the time of formation, the average age of life expectancy was 5 years old. Today it is 41.

My girlfriend Brooke has CF, but rarely talks about it. I was amazed to hear her story about how she manages it every day including how many dozens of pills she takes a day to beat the odds at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Wine & 65 Roses Gala at the Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley Arizona. Brooke is 47 years old. Her commitment to yoga may have a hand in that. She showed her keen sense of humor and told the audience if you didn’t donate she had five live-wire puppies and you’d go home with one of them!

I want Brooke to have an infinite life. I want all 70,000 people in the world with CF to have an infinite life. Brooke is one of approximately 30,000 Americans living with cystic fibrosis.

The Story Behind OneRepublic’s “I Lived”

In March 2015, I felt truly blessed to emcee the Wine & 65 Roses Gala at the Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona. We played the awesome song “I Lived” music video here by OneRepublic. The 15-year old in it (now 16) is Bryan Warnecke.

Bryan got to share his story – and his advice about reaching for the stars – in this music video. “ I Lived” focuses on taking chances, living life to the fullest and finding courage in everyday moments.

In the winter of 2014, Bryan fell ill. Very ill. He was hospitalized for more than a week at Children’s Hospital. He missed five weeks of school due to complications with his disease.

“Bryan’s hospitalization was a wake-up call that we needed to do more to help support the search for a cure,” said Bryan’s dad, Steve.

Since Bryan was diagnosed with CF, the Warnecke’s have always been supportive of the CF Foundation. But after facing the “wake-up call,” they decided to take their support to a whole new level.

“We came up with the idea of cycling 1,065 miles to raise money for cystic fibrosis research and drug development. Once Bryan was released from the hospital and feeling well again, that’s exactly what we did,” Steve Warnecke said.

By the end of their 43-day trip, Bryan and his father had raised $300,000 to help support the search for a cure. It was Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper and the CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado, Jim Shmerling, who put the Warnecke’s in contact with OneRepublic.

“OneRepublic had been looking all around the country for someone with an inspirational story to be featured in their next music video,” Steve said. “As soon as they heard Bryan’s story, they knew he was the one.”

Bryan’s advice for people with CF is simple:

     Don’t let anything stand in the way of your dreams.

There are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, friends and co-workers who struggle every day just to breathe. When I sat with Rachel & Jeremy Olimb at the Gala, I saw the tears in Rachel’s eyes as she shared their story of their sons Asher, Paxon and Beck who were each born with cystic fibrosis. They lost the fight with Paxon.

I climb for them. I climb for Brooke. I climb for dreamers.

Real progress has been made in the search for a cure, but the lives of people with CF are still cut far too short. There still is no cure for this devastating disease. I pray for a cure for cystic fibrosis and all diseases.

Please support me!

By participating in CF Climb, you are helping add tomorrows to the lives of people living with cystic fibrosis.

I would love you to support me by making a donation to my CF Climb fundraising campaign today!

Join me and climb! Come out and meet some handsome firefighters!

Make a donation!

Donation Link: http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/Climb/6_Arizona_Phoenix?px=2569145&pg=personal&fr_id=3930

Send your good wishes!

Your dollars are making a longer life possible for children and now adults with Cystic Fibrosis!
Help me reach my fundraising goal by donating to my CF Climb fundraising campaign.

Thank you for your heart and your friendship!

Here’s to a cure for cystic fibrosis!

All my love,

Roseann Higgins
President & Founder
Matchmaking A Difference Foundation
SPIES Single Professional Introductions for the Especially Selective, LLC

PS Thank you Bob Emmelkamp for leading the StairClimb for so many years and for your generous double matching donation to people who sponsor you! I realize I might lose donors by mentioning this, but it serves the right purpose in the end. The greater good. Amen!