This year’s Federated Health Charities campaign runs from April 3, 2023, to June 30, 2023. During the campaign, we will be highlighting each of our 21 charities and how they work to improve the health and well-being of people across our province.
Our seventh charity to spotlight is Cystic Fibrosis Canada. There are approximately 1,500 children, adolescents, and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Ontario. CF is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. The severity of cystic fibrosis differs from person to person, however, persistent and ongoing lung infections, which destroy the lungs and lead to the loss of lung function, will eventually lead to death in the majority of people with CF. Half of the Canadians who died with CF in the past five years were under the age of 37. There is presently no cure.
For more than 60 years, Cystic Fibrosis Canada has worked to change the story of cystic fibrosis, advancing research and treatments that have more than doubled the life expectancy of children with CF. Cystic Fibrosis Canada has grown into an internationally-recognized leader in funding innovation and clinical care for people with CF. Working together with people living with CF, parents and caregivers, volunteers, researchers and healthcare professionals, government and donors, Cystic Fibrosis Canada is changing lives for the over 4,300 Canadian children and adults living with CF. Cystic Fibrosis Canada invests more in life-saving CF research and care than any other non-governmental agency in Canada. As a result, Canadians with cystic fibrosis have one of the highest median survival rates in the world.
People can die pretty young
Federated Health Charities has supported Cystic Fibrosis Canada since 1990. The annual Federated Health Charities campaign provides a source of stable financial support to Cystic Fibrosis Canada that has helped make a huge difference in the lives of people with CF. Since 1960, the life expectancy of a child with CF was about five years. Today, the life expectancy for children born with CF is over 53 years, and continues to rise, bringing us closer to even better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for cystic fibrosis.
To learn more about Cystic Fibrosis Canada and the programs they provide, please visit Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
To make a payroll pledge or donation to support Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Federated Health Charities, please visit Federated Health Charities.