Dear Friend,
As we approach the end of what has been a truly remarkable year, full of highlights and unexpected challenges, I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of my reflections and say thank you.
We began 2020 confident that the strength of the CF community and the dedication of our Foundation staff would overcome any obstacles in our way, though none of us could have predicted what this year would bring. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, your support enabled the CF Foundation to forge ahead, stay focused on our mission and deliver against the five-year strategic plan we introduced in January. Focused on three key areas – Cure, Care and Community – the plan is our roadmap to deliver the treatments that are needed for the future and address the urgent challenges that people with CF are facing today.
Together in 2020, we remained resilient in working tirelessly to support the CF community.
- We found more ways than ever to be stronger together while we were physically apart – through more than 950 virtual events – both nationally and locally.
- We celebrated 65 years of progress in CF, delivered the first ever all-virtual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference and Breath of Life Gala, and ROSE UP – with the first CF Foundation fundraiser created and led entirely by adults with CF.
- 2020 saw the rapid acceleration of telemedicine and the distribution of more than 15,000 home spirometers to help people with CF manage their care at home.
- In 2020, the Foundation had 43 funded industry agreements and approved more than 600 awards for research and care, including ones to progress novel therapies for infection, support laboratory studies on COVID-19 and CF, spur advances in enzyme replacement therapy, and advance innovative genetic research towards a cure for all people with CF.
- Compass fielded more than 7,500 calls and emails– providing guidance and resources for the community on paid leave, school, navigating insurance needs and the myriad daily challenges that life with CF can present.
- We confronted racial injustice and, while it is early days, we are taking important and necessary steps to address health disparities and create an inclusive and equitable community for every person with CF.
- We pressed forward on our goals for the future – supporting expanded use of modulator therapy for more people with CF and investing more than $200 million in care and research to address the many needs of the CF community.
As I reflect on my first year as president and CEO of the Foundation, I am incredibly grateful. Our ability to progress our mission despite all that has come our way in 2020 is a powerful testament to the strength, unity, and fortitude of this amazing community.
There is so much to be encouraged by as we head into 2021, including the progress of COVID-19 vaccines and the promise of the year ahead.
On behalf of all of us at the CF Foundation, I wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season.
Michael Boyle, MD
President & CEO
