Ronan Rocks

Preston has a couple special little friends in his life, and one of them is Ronan. (Or “Woeden” as Preston calls him.)

Shortly after Ronan was born in December 2011, he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. What is CF? Cystic Fibrosis (CF), which affects the lungs and the digestive system, is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. The disease also makes him more prone to infection, meaning that colds and the like affect him more than they affect others.

Ronan is kicking CF’s butt. You cannot tell, just by looking at him, that he has CF. He’s not sickly. He’s just an above-average two-year-old.

The Great Strides™ Walk is an annual event held by Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and here is what their website has to say about it:

The Great Strides™ walk is Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s largest national fundraising event. Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians come together to raise funds for life-sustaining CF research and care.

The Great Strides™ walk began in Canada in 2005 and continues to grow with new chapters and volunteers, making it our most successful national fundraising event. In the first nine years, the Great Strides™ walk raised more than $18.5 million for our important cause.

As the event continues to gain momentum, so do our research efforts and the progress in the search for a cure or control. Since 1960, Cystic Fibrosis Canada has invested more than $150 million in leading research, innovation and care. As a result, Canadians with cystic fibrosis have one of the highest median survival rates in the world.

However, there’s still much more to do. Each week in Canada, two more children are diagnosed and one person dies from cystic fibrosis. There is no cure. We rely on the generous support of our volunteers, donors and partners in our shared mission to improve the lives of Canadians living with cystic fibrosis, and to ultimately find a cure or control for this devastating disease.

Every year, thousands of Canadians from coast-to-coast lace up and join this family oriented and community supported event. In 2014, there will be more than 60 walk locations across Canada. The Great Strides™ walk provides a great opportunity for friends, family, co-workers and neighbours to come together to take a stand and fight.

I did the walk last year with Venessa (my friend and Ronan’s mom) and am doing it again this year. Our team name, Ronan Rocks, has a double meaning: we are the Ronan Rocks, the rocks of Ronan, but also, Ronan Rocks. Donations are collected though the Great Strides™ website. If you’d like to donate, there will be a button in the footer of this site from now until the walk, or you can click here or on the button below:

My goal last year was $100 but it was more than doubled by you guys, so my goal this year is $200. Even if you donate five bucks or something, that would be awesome.

All money raised through pledges and donations goes to support Cystic Fibrosis Canada in its mission to find a cure or an effective control for Cystic Fibrosis. Your support will enable them to provide the highest standard of CF research, care, and advocacy to those who fight this deadly disease (like Ronan!), and their families.

There are walks all across Canada, so if you’d like to be involved in one, just head on over to their website to find the one closest to you. (Here is the link for the States.)

Thank you for your support. Let’s help take steps towards a cure!

ps. If you’re a Saskatoon person and would like to donate to Juliegh’s or Venessa’s page instead, click on their names. Or you can donate to the team in general. All the funds raised go to the same team and the same organization, so who they go through doesn’t matter in the least.