Last week, several of my Congressional colleagues and I competed against members of the Maryland General Assembly, not over politics, but rather in a charity basketball game. With help from Delegate Bobby Zirkin (D, District 11-Baltimore County), I organized the game to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Although the General Assembly team ended up scoring more points than my Congressional squad, the real winners were the 30,000 Americans battling Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

A terminal, genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus on cells lining organs such as the lungs and pancreas. The mucus obstructs the pancreas, preventing enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and digest food, and the lungs, making breathing difficult and painful. While specialized treatments are available to cope with CF’s effects, no cures have been found, and CF patients live, on average, to only thirty-two years of age.

Since 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has worked for the development of a cure, the means to control Cystic Fibrosis, and the improvement of the quality of life for those with the disease. The CF Foundation supports and accredits more than 110 CF care centers nationwide which provide high quality, specialized care for those suffering from the disease. Among other initiatives, the Foundation also provides grants for scientific CF research and tracks promising, potential treatments discovered through clinical trials in an innovative drug development program. Up-to-date information regarding the trials is provided by the dedicated CF Foundation staff who operate a 24-hour hotline.

I became actively involved in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland when my wife, Kendel, and I learned a close friend suffers from this terrible disease. Since then, Kendel and I have worked to raise both public awareness and money for the CF Foundation, which depends greatly upon public support to carry out its life-saving programs. Kendel now serves as the President of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Maryland chapter, and we both help raise money by chairing and helping organize events such as last week’s basketball game. Kendel and I join more than 250,000 volunteers who work tirelessly to aid the CF Foundation in implementing its research, medical care, public policy, and education programs. The generosity of numerous CF Foundation donors has enabled scientists to identify the gene that causes CF, to correct the defective CF cells in laboratory dishes, and much more. Based on these successes, Foundation-supported researchers are now conducting gene therapy studies involving individuals with CF, using several unique gene delivery methods.

Gene therapy offers the best hope for a life-saving treatment which tackles the root cause of CF, rather than only treating the symptoms. The CF Foundation has collaborated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish gene therapy centers. The Republican-led Congress increased NIH funding this year by almost 15% over FY1999 levels to approximately $18 billion in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2000 (P.L. 106-113). This increase will ensure the continuation of the funding of CF Foundation - NIH Gene Therapy Centers whose work may ultimately lead to a cure.

In the meantime, Kendel and I urge you to join this dedicated, volunteer team as we continue and expand our work for the Foundation. Thousands of children and adults battling Cystic Fibrosis are depending on us. We must not stop our efforts until we ensure all CF patients get a clear shot at life.

If you would like more information or to volunteer, then please contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 410-771-9000 or 1-800-FIGHT-CF.