The Bonnell Foundation’s mission is to give emotional and/or financial support to families coping with cystic fibrosis. Providing tools and connecting families to resources to navigate the difficulties of the disease, The Bonnell Foundation also offers college scholarships to students with cystic fibrosis, medical assistance, lung transplant grants, and covers other miscellaneous financial needs of the CF community. The founder, Laura Bonnell, has an informative podcast you can listen to on her website and is on the front line of educating doctors and families in the middle east on the disease, helping to bring treatments to nations where none existed before 2022.

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease that affects the entire organ system, most prominently destroying the lungs, pancreas, and digestive system. Gene mutations cause cells to become dysfunctional, specifically making them unable to move chloride to the cell surface. Without chloride to attract water, the mucus in the organs becomes thick and sticky like syrup. This thick mucus clogs the airways and traps bacteria, leading to recurring inflammation and life-threatening infections. Because the lungs cannot get enough air, they create pockets to make more room. The pockets fill with mucus, and the lung responds by making more pockets. Due of this cycle, the lungs are eventually overcome by scar tissue, leading to respiratory failure and death. Lung transplants are used when available to replace damaged lungs, but a transplant is not guaranteed because there are not enough matching donors and many patients cannot afford the procedure. A lung transplant also does not cure cystic fibrosis and the remaining organs are still affected by the disease. Severe liver disease is common as is a unique type of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD). People with cystic fibrosis are also unable to digest food without taking liver and pancreatic enzymes with meals and can suffer from severe malnutrition.

As of today, there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. In the United States during the 1980s, the expected life span for a child born with cystic fibrosis was fourteen years. With breakthroughs in treatments, if diagnosed at birth, a child in the United States has a life expectancy of 53 years, barring major exacerbations. Sadly, exacerbations are all too common and can occur at any age, often resulting in death. Also, despite major advancements in drug therapies, certain gene mutations are not yet understood, and existing treatments do not help many living with the disease.

In the middle east and other parts of the world where treatment does not exist, the life expectancy of a child born with cystic fibrosis today is between three and eight years old.

Because cystic fibrosis is considered a rare disease, research and the discovery of a cure are only afforded small amounts of government funding. Ongoing financing for the discovery of the cause of cystic fibrosis, new treatments, better medications, and ultimately a cure, comes primarily from private donations. Every donated dollar literally helps a person eat and breathe. The need is great and no amount is too small. Below are the two cystic fibrosis foundations I support on a recurring monthly basis.

Cystic Fibrosis

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the foremost pioneer in funding cystic fibrosis research. Raising money through various fundraising events and by individual donors, the foundation provides grants for cystic fibrosis research and clinical trials. With 115 specialized CF treatment centers across the United States and over 80 chapters and offices, The Foundation offers awareness and education, and advocates for healthcare policies and programs that promote access to highly specialized CF care. The Compass program provides individual patients and families with support for financial, legal, and insurance issues, particularly to get insurance coverage for the various medications they need to survive.

If you are outside of the United States and want to find more information on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in your country, they will be easily located by Google.

HOPPY HAVEN SMALL ANIMAL RESCUE’s mission is to aid all animals they have the means to help while minimizing environmental impact. Approaching their calling with a vegan mindset, HHSR primarily takes in domestic rabbits but rescues all kinds of small pets that people bring home without understanding they demand special care. Too often these animals are thought to have the ability to survive outdoors and are abandoned in fields or parks to die within days, or even hours. HHSR also takes in critters such as rabbits, hamsters, chinchillas, ferrets, and rats, and cares for them with gentle hands until they can be placed in a home with the love and attention they deserve. 

I’ve fostered animals from HHSR, which is how my bunny, Nina, became part of our family. HHSR is always in need of fosters and donations.

ANIMAL RESCUE AND ADOPTION