This Sunday (May 28) will mark another Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History in Vancouver.

And the annual nationwide fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Canada comes at a very propitious time in the history of the fight against the insidious, multifaceted disease.

New medications are proving to have positive effects, sometimes spectacularly so, in the treatment of the illness. And CF patients in Canada have one of the highest median ages of survival in the world.

On Sunday, walkers in more than 70 communities across Canada, including 10 in British Columbia, will march together for a few kilometres to demonstrate solidarity in their declared fight against the most common inherited fatal disease in the country.

VanDusen Botanical Garden will host the Vancouver walk (formerly known as the Great Strides Walk) and related events from approximately 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (sorry, no pets).

If you wish to donate for this important fundraiser—funds from which are used to support CF clinics and new research into a cure—please go here. Tax receipts are available for all donations of $20 or more.

If you want to donate to an existing walk team or individual, please go here.

If you'd like to attend the walk yourself, just fill out the form here, then bring the completed sheet to the registration desk at VanDusen Botanical garden at 8 a.m. on Sunday (May 28).

Individual donations can be made at any time, of course, and are gratefully received.

Although, as stated above, it is the most common inherited fatal disease in Canada, and even though on your average crowded city bus there will be two people carrying the gene responsible for CF—and even though within your immediate or extended family or circle of friends and acquaintances you probably are close to someone with CF—the average person doesn’t know much about the illness and its effects.

It is a disease that affects multiple organs to varying degrees, but its most serious impacts are on the lungs and digestive system as the result of a chronic internal buildup of thick mucous. 

Because of the insidious and cumulative nature of CF and its internal ravages, sufferers often don’t show external signs of the seriousness of the disease.

Paradoxically, at least between the frequent hospitalizations, those with CF appear to be the picture of health. Another thing most people don't see are the multiple, sometimes dozens, of medication doses taken every day just to stave off infections and be able to digest foods.

But it’s the accumulation of scar tissue on those infection-prone lungs that, ultimately, necessitates consideration of life-saving lung transplants.

Sadly, this drastic procedure is not always an option, or successful, or even available to all CF patients.

No matter how small or large your donation, you can be sure the majority of your contribution is going to necessary, possibly critical, ongoing support, education, and research.

Whether you decide to sponsor an individual Great Strides walker, a walking team, or want to become a “virtual” walker yourself (or just want to make a tax-deductible donation to CF Canada anytime), this is the time to do it.

And know that it is helping someone close to you or close to someone you know—even if you don’t know it yet.