Earlier this week, we posted on the Team Maddox Facebook page a simple question. How many people in the State of WI have CF? I was actually really surprised by this number and few figures that we were given by a letter from the CF Foundation – Wisconsin Chapter.

The letter was a wrap up from the Wisconsin Great Stride Directors, thanking us for our support. In 2018 there were 218 teams and more than 2,500 walkers (Go Team Maddox!). The WI chapter has raised over $850,000 to further the mission to Cure CF. All of this effort, energy, fundraising, communication and social media posts for the 683 individuals in WI that have CF.  CRAZY! I was shocked by this number that I thought there were more people with it in the state.

This is a reality check of a number; there are 5,975,000 people in the State of WI (2017) census which means that .011% of the population in WI has CF. Whoa! Let that one sink in for a bit. Seriously, only .011%! >speechless<

Here’s my mommy mission: to continue to spread the awareness and communication about CF. Anyone that sees a picture of Maddox gets to hear his story, whether they have 30 seconds or a few minutes for me to share. By sharing his story, what he has, what he has been through and where the research is going will continue to expand the awareness of CF.  I know that I will not reach all 5.7 million of us Wisconsinites(plus a few of our out of state followers:)), but I will for sure try to reach out to as many as I can.  I hope that you will help me share his story by our blogs, Facebook page, SWAG, or just talking about it so that we can continue to raise awareness and cheer on the medical teams that are researching ways to find a cure.  I was told by a friend/fellow CF’er that within his lifetime there will be a cure. I am clinging to that strong sense of hope and excitement in every interaction I have about CF and Maddox. I will advocate to those to show why the funding and research needs to continue so that we can find a cure for Maddox and all CF’ers.

Thank you for reading our story so far!