You guessed it! Along with mental health, anxiety and depression, Huntington’s disease and fibromyalgia… May is also
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Awareness Month.
Here are some quick facts about CF from the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF):
- CF is a genetic condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system.
- CF causes unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas.
- Common symptoms include salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing, frequent lung infections and wheezing or shortness of breath.
- 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. are living with CF.
- More than 75% of CF patients are diagnosed by age 2, and nearly half of the total CF population is over the age of 18.
Although there is no cure for CF, there are treatments to loosen thick mucus and prevent the airway from clogging. The CFF has helpful info about
managing and treating CF on their website, and you can
see what treatments others are taking on PatientsLikeMe.
So what else is going on for CF Awareness Month? The CFF breaks awareness down into four actions:
WALK as part of the CFF’s “Great Strides” national fundraising event.
ADVOCATE by using the
CFF Advocacy Toolkit and reaching out to officials.
EDUCATE by reviewing
FAQs about CF and
learning about testing.
CONNECT on Facebook and Twitter using #CFAwarenessMonth and #CysticFibrosis
And continue that connecting part with the more than
1,100 CF members on PatientsLikeMe. They’re tracking their progress and sharing their experiences
in the forum, and together, everyone is learning more about each other’s journeys with CF.
Share this post on twitter and help spread the word for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.
