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For more information on Cystic Fibrosis please visit the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cysticfibrosis.ca

Each province in Canada has active Chapters. There are a total of 50 chapters located in Canada. Individual chapters are made up of volunteers who are deeply committed to finding a solution to CF. They organize and stage fund raising activates, raise awareness of CF in their local communities, and support family and friends who are coping with CF daily.

Click here to find a CCFF Chapter near you.

Contact Us

Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Vancouver and Lower Mainland

4050 Graveley Street
Burnaby
British Columbia
Canada
V5C 4A5

Telephone: (604)436-1158

Our chapter office is open
Monday-Friday from 9:30am-5:00pm
A Double Header PDF Print E-mail
This Saturday, June 7, a mere two weeks away from lift-off, found us once again at Yew and Cornwall, at the other Starbucks. Chris Blohmke, David and Zach Speert, and James Zlotnik all showed up resplendent in their new GearUp4CF kit, although only James had the courage to wear his new leggings. On our route through Stanley Park we had to skirt the World Triathlon Championships which were shivering their way through to a Sunday climax and managed to avoid the nude cyclists altogether who were goosebumping and climaxing their way for some purpose or another elsewhere in the city. We met Hilda in Park Royal (at the Starbucks of course) and then set off on a Westerly route to Horseshoe Bay along the now familiar Marine Drive. The objective today was a big climb up Cypress, a wished for bear sighting on Chris’s part and a long run around UBC and into Steveston to capture that important Time In The Saddle. All went according to plan until Chris broke a spoke and had to detour to a West Van bike store while we slogged up the big hill. That completed we met Chris for lunch and then headed to UBC and parts beyond. The weather improved as the day went on and the now visible CF togs looked very bright indeed. Check James’s photo blog for more details. I had to break off at Cypress St and head back to town whilst the others went for distance and captured 167 km. My tally a more middling 125. On Sunday Brian Carlson and Sandi Saunier and I drove to Chilliwack to rendezvous with John Joyce and his Shadow group. John had an extended route planned for the 4 of us while the Shadows did their own more leisurely route. John did not mention that his extra 20 km. also involved about an extra 700 metres of climbing as we rose higher and higher into the back roads on Promontory Ridge and Ryder Lake. I was expecting snow around the corner and whinged non-stop. We finally hit the flat lands again near Veddr Crossing and headed direction Yarrow. There we had a second detour up the hills. We came back by Tolmie Road, Dukes Pub, and a close encounter of a F150 kind, which made us reflect on the safety of Ipods on the road. We broke for lunch at the Rhombus hotel as always and once again John had to cajole us out of our relaxed lunch routine. The afternoon leg was a breeze, flat with no wind, and we cycled West until we could go West no longer. (Popkum Road). We came back by Highway 9 until we hit the Agassiz Bridge at which point we exited onto River Road for the long ride home on the dyke. Very scenic with a flooded Fraser on one side and a Dutch landscape on the other. 125 km. again …. .hence a Double Header.
 

Is there a cure?

As yet, there is no known cure for CF, but there is real hope. Comprehensive treatment programs have dramatically extended the life expectancy of persons with CF and many are living into their 20s, 30s and beyond.

Recent years have seen remarkable progress in CF research. Since 1989 when Canadian researchers discovered the gene responsible for CF, global research to find a cure for the disease has brought us closer and closer to a solution.

The astonishing pace of CF science suggests that there is good reason to feel optimistic about the future.

How does CF affect daily life?

For persons with CF, life includes a daily routine of therapy and periodic visits to a CF clinic. Otherwise, most individuals with cystic fibrosis lead normal lives, for many years, in terms of education, physical activity, and social relationships. Eventually, however, lung disease places increasing limits on daily life.

Thanks to the advances in research and clinical care, growing numbers of children with CF are surviving into adulthood. In 1960, when the CCFF was founded, a child born with cystic fibrosis rarely lived four years. CCFF is one of the few organizations that maintains extensive records, tracking a CF patient from first diagnosis. This data base called, the Canadian Patient Data Registry, is proving that advances have been made with the recent announcement that the median age of survival of Canadians with CF has reached its highest point ever: 37 years of age. This means that Canadians with CF now have a 50% chance of living beyond the age of 37. While this is positive news, the need for a cure is crucial for the 50% who won't reach the age of 37.

Over 41% of all Canadians with CF are over the age of 18 years. These men and women are pursuing post-secondary education, careers and many are having families of their own; a tremendous accomplishment, but not enough.