EUTAWVILLE – A sky full of lowering rain clouds overhead didn’t dampen the spirits of volunteers who gathered at Eutawville’s Wright Way Child Development Center on Saturday, June 28, to march for a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Smiling, waving to neighbors and chanting, “Fight CF! Fight CF!,” approximately 75 participants – from cooing toddlers in strollers to spry 70-year-old great-grandmother Glennie Gibbs – joined in the event as both marchers and sponsors, raising more than $300 in donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Corporate sponsors Farmers and Merchants Bank of Eutawville, IGA of Eutawville and Harleyville Builders Supply of Holly Hill also stepped up to contribute supplies of bottled water, bananas and monetary donations to add to the event’s success. Local and county police officers donated their time patrolling the march and clearing traffic along the route to ensure the volunteers’ safety.

Organized and led by child care center director Lashondia Wright, the event was based on CFF’s “Great Strides: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis” program, where tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year across the nation to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis and fund vital research and support programs.

“Cystic fibrosis,” an inherited disease that affects the lungs and digestive system, leading to life-threatening lung infections and preventing the body from successfully breaking down and absorbing food, “severely affects so many of our kids and is so often misdiagnosed and mistreated,” Wright said. “Often parents will think their child is having an asthma attack. We’re here today to start getting the word out about cystic fibrosis – what it is and what can be done.”

“I want to help fight CF,” said 12-year-old Iben Gatson, who pushed his cousins, Quashaun

Odom, 3, and Deonta Odom, 2, in a double-stroller the entire five-mile route on Saturday, sweat pouring off his determined young face.

It’s just that kind of selfless giving that’s made CFF’s mission statement, “Adding Tomorrows Every Day,” come alive in Eutawville.

“Every little bit helps make the difference to the lives of the 30,000 Americans suffering from CF,” Wright said, “and I hope our participation today only adds momentum to the crucial race to find a cure.”

When the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was started in the 1950s, few kids with CF lived to elementary school age.

“Today, with the great advances in research and medical treatments, many people with the disease can now live into their 30s, 40s and beyond. But we won’t stop until we find a cure,” Wright said.

Some of Saturday’s volunteers ended the route at a sprint. Others took a bit longer to complete the course. But all were smiling as they crossed the finish line.

“We’re already planning next year’s march,” Wright said.

For more information on cystic fibrosis and ways to help fight the disease, please call Wright at 803-492-7295 or contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation directly at www.cff.org.

You must be logged in to comment.