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Athletics and awareness

EVAN WEBSTER

In 2002, two of Ross Drake’s teenage sons were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung disorder for which there is no known cure.

At the time, doctors told him the median age of survival for patients with cystic fibrosis was 37 years old. But Drake and his boys weren’t about to deal with it without a fight.

“We got involved with fundraising right from the beginning,” said Drake, a Dartmouth native and national board member with Cystic Fibrosis Canada. “Our big events in Halifax were a golf tournament and the annual cystic fibrosis walk. But about four years ago, I decided to up my game and challenge myself to do something more.”

Today, Drake is one of the most active individual fundraisers for cystic fibrosis research in Nova Scotia. He’s raised around $100,000 over the last four years, and about $150,000 in the last 10, earning him a national service award from Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Across the country, others have followed suit. Since 2002, advances in research along with millions of fundraising dollars have helped the median age of survival jump from 37 to 51.

“As a parent of two adults living with CF, that’s really encouraging,” said Drake. “We are making progress with this disease, but we still need all the help we can get.”

This year, Drake’s main fundraising events are the Bluenose Marathon, the GearUp4CF bike ride in P.E.I. later this month, and two EPIC Dartmouth triathlon events in July.

Drake and his teammates have raised about $24,000 so far, but they’re hoping to raise at least $40,000 this year.

“Every fundraising effort makes a difference, and you can see that. Canada’s median age of survival for cystic fibrosis patients is one of the highest in the world,” he said. “The power of having people fighting and fundraising by your side is huge. We’re not fighting this battle alone.”

He also said he’s optimistic that treatment methods and quality of life for cystic fibrosis patients will only get better over the years.

“Just 50 years ago, kids with cystic fibrosis weren’t even making it to kindergarten,” he said. “But today, there are more adults living with cystic fibrosis than children. Progress is being made every day, and the money raised directly impacts the lives of people living with CF. But of course, we still have a long way to go.”

 

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