Latest news with #GreatStrides
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cystic Fibrosis walk raises $33K in Morgantown
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — A little more than $33,000 was raised on Saturday morning in Morgantown to help fund cystic fibrosis research, which will help extend the lives of CF patients. 'Great Strides' walks around the country are organized each year by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), which has worked since 1955 to raise awareness for CF as well as raise money for the research needed to develop new treatments for the disease. David Dent, an assistant swim coach for West Virginia University, was recently diagnosed with the disease in April, but said he's already starting to feel an improvement from his symptoms since he began treatment a few weeks ago. 'I was diagnosed on April 11th of this year, and it's been a whirlwind to get to this point, actually,' Dent said. 'It's a lot of years of just being told that I just had a cold or my anxiety was driving my sickness and things like that.' The CFF estimates that more than 40,000 people in the United States are living with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the mucous membranes in the body. This can have severe impacts on a patient's lungs, intestines, liver, reproductive organs and more. In 1999, the life expectancy of a CF patient was around 30 years, but continued research has raised the median life expectancy for recently diagnosed CF patients to 60 years or more. One thing that makes cystic fibrosis a challenging disease to treat is the number of genetic variations for the disease; there are more than 2,000 known mutations according to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, meaning some treatment options will be effective for some mutations but not others. Every West Virginia monster festival in 2025 'Once I got diagnosed, I saw that there was a walk coming up pretty quickly right after my diagnosis, and decided that I wanted to help out,' Dent said. 'I do have the mutations that qualified me for some of the best treatment in the cystic fibrosis community, and so luckily I was able to jump in right away and start treating it, but there's a lot that still aren't able to.' However, those patients who are able to benefit from the latest developments in CF medicine are seeing large improvements in their overall health. Associate Director of the Mountain State Cystic Fibrosis Center Dr. Kathryn Moffett said the latest drugs have been a 'game changer' for many people with CF, and those treatments are a direct result of fundraisers like the one held in Morgantown on Saturday. 'It has totally changed this disease,' Moffett said. 'Patients are healthy, we don't have patients in the hospital anymore. They get chronic infections, but [they don't need] to come in anymore for a course of, say, two weeks of IV antibiotics. It's amazing.' As of Saturday evening, the fundraiser for the Great Strides walk is still ongoing. Anyone who wishes to donate can find the Morgantown walk's fundraiser page here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
36th annual Great Strides walk in Bethesda raises awareness for cystic fibrosis
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Many will gather in Bethesda Wednesday evening to join the 5K walk to raise awareness on finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. On May 7, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will host its 36th annual Great Strides walk at the Elm Street Urban Park. Check-in for the walk will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the run will begin at 6:30 p.m. Organizers noted that Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest annual fundraiser. Each year, thousands come together to support the mission to cure cystic fibrosis and provide people living with the disease an opportunity to have a long, fulfilling life. DC small business owners take advantage of resources at annual 'POWERUP' summit 'Together, we can raise awareness and fund crucial scientific research, making a difference in the lives of those battling this condition,' wrote the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in a release. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes breathing problems and digestive issues, while impacting a person's lungs and other vital organs. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease affects about 35,000 people across the U.S. Organizers said the money raised during the walk will go toward the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to complete research and care needed to help advance a cure for the disease. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders grants over $460,000 for outdoor recreation
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders presented more than $460,000 to four Arkansas cities on Wednesday as recreation grants. Sanders was joined by Secretary Shea Lewis, Secretary Renee Mallory and Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Katherine Andrews in making the presentation as part of the Great Strides program. Arkansas parks department awards recreation grants to counties around the state Officials said the Wednesday $468,838 award is the first Great Strides grant since the program went dormant in 2017. According to a governor's spokesperson, reinstituting the program was one of the recommendations of the Natural State Initiative to enhance the state's outdoor economy. 'The focus of the Great Strides program since we restarted it has been to make every part of Arkansas, particularly our smaller communities, great places to live and raise a family by investing in outdoor recreation opportunities,' the governor said. The grant recipients are Arkansas cities Denning, $73,897; Keo, $114,192; Ozan, $121,200 and Sulpher Springs, $159,550 for city park trails. New all-terrain wheelchair program launched at Pinnacle Mountain State Park Funding for the grant comes from the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Fund. Recipient communities will use these grant funds to establish health and fitness trails that encourage physical activity and provide health benefits through safe and easily accessible facilities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
