CYSTIC FIBROSIS CANADA ASKS CANADIANS TO MAKE ONE DAY NOW THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.
TORONTO, November 28, 2023 - Cystic Fibrosis Canada celebrated Giving Tuesday with the launch of its annual holiday fundraising campaign, One Day, Now. The campaign features three Canadian families impacted by cystic fibrosis who share their stories of hope for the future and will be featured on email, video, organic social media, social media ads and direct mail.
One day all Canadians with cystic fibrosis will have life-changing medications, longer lives, and brighter futures. But one day is not good enough. Canadian families impacted by cystic fibrosis need one day to be now. To inspire Canadians to give, the campaign will feature a series of matching donation opportunities. Kicking off on Giving Tuesday, The Sarah Gordon Memorial Fund matched the first $25,000 donated, Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s corporate partner, TK Elevator (Canada) doubled the impact of individual gifts up to $10,000 and incredibly, Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s Board of Directors came together to match donations up to $25,000. For the remainder of the holiday campaign, a generous donor will match gifts up to $150,000 before 11:59PM EST on December 31st, when the campaign ends.
“Advancements in treatment and care have enabled many Canadians with CF to live longer and fuller lives,” said Carly Schur, Chief Development Officer, Cystic Fibrosis Canada. “We are thrilled with this progress, but we know that there are others in our community who long for a day when they can make plans for their future, when their passions aren’t interrupted by CF, when they can travel, or access the medications they so desperately need. By supporting our campaign, you can help to make one day, now.”
Cystic fibrosis treatments like the drug Trikafta are making life-changing differences in the lives of many people with CF in Canada. However, not all can benefit from the drug, and not everyone who could benefit can access it. People living with cystic fibrosis like Chanelle Laflèche and Matthew Tirabassi, both featured in the campaign, are hoping for one day when a life-changing treatment will be available to them, too. For Patricia Vollick’s son MacKenzie, the treatments have come too late. Patricia longs for a day when no other parent will lose their child to cystic fibrosis. The stories featured in this year’s campaign highlight the need for change now so that all Canadians with cystic fibrosis can start living a brighter life.
“I long for a world that will allow people living with cystic fibrosis to go about their daily lives without a second thought. To see my daughter gain her independence...to be able to take a deep breath without feeling any guilt, because I know my daughter cannot do the same,” said Céline Laflèche, mother of Chanelle Laflèche, who lives with cystic fibrosis and is featured in the campaign. “I know that one day, families affected by CF will experience a very different reality than mine. And that makes me feel tremendous relief.”
Cystic Fibrosis Canada works to improve the lives of people in Canada with cystic fibrosis through strategic investments in research, healthcare, advocating for access to life-changing medicines, bringing new drugs to Canada through its clinical trial networks and providing connections and information and support. Donating to the One Day Now campaign will bring us closer to the day when all Canadians with cystic fibrosis have life-changing medications, longer lives, and brighter futures.
View short videos of the families featured in One Day Now, including Céline and Chanelle Laflèche, and more on Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s Vimeo page. Visit the One Day Now page to make a donation and help change lives.
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. There is no cure. Of the Canadians with cystic fibrosis who died in the past five years, half were the age of 37. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, degenerative multi-system disease that affects mainly the lungs and digestive system. In the lungs, where the effects are most devastating, a build-up of thick mucus causes severe respiratory problems. Mucus and protein also build up in the digestive tract, making it difficult to digest and absorb nutrients from food. In addition to the physical effects of the disease, mental health concerns are emerging; anxiety and depression are common among this population. Double lung transplants are the final option for patients with end-stage disease; most fatalities of people with cystic fibrosis are due to lung disease.
About Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Cystic Fibrosis Canada has dramatically changed the cystic fibrosis story. We have advanced research and care that has more than doubled life expectancy. Since being founded by parents in 1960, Cystic Fibrosis Canada has grown into a leading organization with a central role engaging people living with cystic fibrosis, parents and caregivers, volunteers, researchers, and healthcare professionals, government, and donors. We work together to change lives for the more than 4,000 Canadian children and adults living with cystic fibrosis through treatments, research, information, and support. Despite our remarkable progress together, we are not yet done. Not when half of the Canadians with cystic fibrosis who died in the past five years were the age of 37. We will keep pushing, keep going further until all people with cystic fibrosis can and do experience everything life has to offer —and enjoy everything life has to offer. Learn more at cysticfibrosis.ca.
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Chloe Hall
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