The Summit Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. At present, there is no cure.
CF is a hereditary disorder affecting mainly the digestive system and lungs. The degree of severity differs from person to person, however, the persistence and ongoing infection in the lungs, with destruction of lungs and loss of lung function, will eventually lead to death.
As a multi-system disorder, CF has a variety of symptoms including: Persistent cough with thick mucous; Shortness of breath; Frequent chest infections; Intestinal obstruction; Weight loss or failure to gain weight; Salty tasting sweat; Infertility (men) and decreased fertility (women).
It is estimated that one in every 3,600 children born in Canada has CF. More than 4,100 Canadian children, adolescents, and adults with Cystic Fibrosis attend specialized CF clinics.
CF patients require lengthy daily treatments including: Chest physiotherapy and specialized medication to loosen mucous; Enzymes to digest their food; Antibiotics to fend off chest infections; Tube feed to maintain weight; And others depending on their personal symptoms.
At present the only proven way for an end stage CF patient to prolong their life is through lung transplant. Requiring a lengthy pre-operative program, a life threatening surgical procedure, and the addition of more medication to prevent organ failure or rejection; this is still not a guarantee of survival.
99.5% of your donor dollars go directly to our programs. Our board of directors are volunteers and all CF events are manned by volunteers. We have zero overhead and that sets us apart from 75% of local charities in Calgary.
Funding directly supports the creation of research grants (for those already in the fight against CF), fellowships (for those wanting to join the fight), and larger scale projects like the recently opened Nicole Perkins Microbial Communities Core Laboratories.
The Nicole Perkins Microbial Communities Core Laboratories are located at the University of Calgary Cummings School of Medicine. Microbial communities play important roles in both health and disease, and in particular in the lungs of those with Cystic Fibrosis.
These labs house 2 machines that are only located in 4 other places in the world. This advanced equipment helps recruit the brightest minds to further their particular areas of research through the use of the lab. Many of which directly impact Cystic Fibrosis research.
The research conducted in the Nicole Perkins Microbial Communities Core Laboratories focuses on treating and preventing bacterial infections, such as pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis, preventing these types of infections greatly increases the quality of life and survivability of CF patients.