The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Hosts Fifth Anniversary Black and Orange Ball

The
Orange County office of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will celebrate Halloween early with its Fifth Anniversary Black and Orange Ball.
The event will be held Saturday, Oct.
19 at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif. Hosted
by Jim and Tamara Christian, a Southern California family whose son was
diagnosed with CF at age one, festivities
include a cocktail reception, auction, dinner and costume ball.

“More than 30,000 children and adults in the United
States suffer from cystic fibrosis, and we are honored to host an annual Halloween
ball that funds medical research allowing them to live longer, healthier
lives,” said Michael
Shumard, executive director, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Southern California
chapter.
“The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has driven and supported all major medical
advances to provide the means to cure and control the disease. Because of funds
raised at these events, progress continues by bringing lifesaving drugs such as
Kalydeco and this year’s FDA approval of the TOBI Podhaler inhaler device to market.”

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s
leading organization behind the pursuit of a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF), an
inherited chronic disease that severely affects the lungs and digestive system
of children and adults. It is through the dedication and support of patients,
families, clinicians, researchers, volunteers, individual donors, corporations
and staff, that the organization furthers advancements in medical treatments.

“Beyond
Breathing” Author Featured Speaker

Margarete Cassalina will be the evening’s guest speaker.
As the mother of two children that inherited cystic fibrosis genes, Cassalina has
been a volunteer with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for 22 years, speaking
nationally about her experiences and family’s battle with the disease, which
she chronicles in her award-winning memoir, “Beyond Breathing.” Her daughter,
Jena, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at one month of age and passed away
when she was 13 years old. With her son Eric also facing CF, Cassalina is very
passionate about finding a cure, helping raise millions of dollars to date and donating 65 percent of the net
proceeds from her memoir to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The CFF business model is recognized by the Harvard
Business School as one of the most effective charity models in the country with
91 cents of every dollar invested in CF research. Since its inception in 2009,
the annual Black and Orange Ball has raised $315,000, and it is through the
Foundation’s tireless efforts that new drugs and treatments make their way to
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval. The recent FDA approval of
the TOBI Podhaler inhaler device in March of this year gives CF patients the
ability to treat a type of bacterial lung infection, and patients have
experienced a significant 12.5 percent increase in lung function. The average
age of a child living with CF was seven years old when the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation was established in 1955; today, due to such advancements, it is 37.

 About the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation

                The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The
Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every
CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based
in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care
center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as
a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported
nonprofit organization. For more information, go to www.cff.org.