To Beebe Schools and Community:  Thank you so much for taking on my fight against Cystic Fibrosis (CF).  About 6 months ago, I was blessed with a beautiful baby boy, who was devastatingly diagnosed with this horrid disease.  Since then, I have made it my mission to do everything I can to help raise awareness, and money to find a cure for him!
Cystic Fibrosis is hard to live with.  We have a variety of rigorous treatments, doctors’ visits, and worry of when and if it will get worse.  One bad report from the doctor can leave a “CFer” feeling hopeless and like everything they do is pointless.  A lot of the teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis have begun to give up on treatments, and life, and most importantly HOPE!  They weren’t expected to live into adulthood, so they aren’t equipped with the life skills, and coping skills needed to push through this disease.  The sad thing about this is that this indirectly affects every person with CF, including my son.  Due to the low number of people with the disease, we need everyone to keep faith and work hard to keep themselves as healthy as possible, and know that WE will find a CURE!
It is my job, as a “CF mom,” to make sure that my son is equipped with the strength and hope he needs to overcome Cystic Fibrosis.  He needs to know that his life is important and that there are many, many people working hard to find a cure for him, so he needs to work hard to find a cure for himself!  I want him to be able to see his diagnosis as an opportunity to make a tremendous difference, not just as a prognosis for a shorter, chronically ill life.
Thank you Beebe for helping me with this task!  I am so thankful I grew up in this community, where everyone is willing to help make a difference in any way they can.  In my opinion, there is not a better community in the world.  You have all come together and showed my family and I that we are not alone.  I KNOW there will be a cure found within Brayton’s lifetime, and it is because of the people like you that this will happen.
Thank you again for everything that you have done!
Martie