Every year, we get together for the fun walk run to raise the awareness of Cystic Fibrosis [CF]. We look forward to it and with the anticipation it brings we get excited about it. It truly has been a fun event that continues to grow. 

Walking recently and encountering some uphill terrain, it made those of us walking breathe a bit more heavily, our breathing was a bit more laboured as we trudged along. It was then the thought hit me...

What is it like for someone with CF to not be doing any kind of activity and they experience laboured breathing? Someone with CF has to get their chest tapped, take expensive medications, and seek medical treatment for something that should come to them normally. Yet while they are on dry land, they feel as if they're drowning. 

There are a number of people in Barbados who have CF who for them trying to grasp a breath, get nutrients from their food, and taking a buffet of medication has been and continued to be their daily routine. 

Thankfully, one of our eldest sufferers is progressing through school and we have recognized that soon they will enter college/workforce. The challenges then change since while growing it took the salaries of two parents and supportive insurance companies to keep them alive, while barely making ends meet. That changes as they enter the workforce, parents retire/age or just are unable to work any longer. How can we ensure that this CF sufferer has a quality of life where their healthcare is not forced into a state of compromise to CF which is deadly? 

When you walk/run this year, encourage others to participate. Can each one bring at least one? Even though we will walk/run, see old friends, meet new acquaintances, we must keep the opportunity to build awareness in the forefront of what we do. 

We are The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Barbados, taking on the life-changing experiences of living with CF. We intend to remain committed to what we do since we are Aware to Care! 

Please register early and encourage others to do the same. Let's make this the biggest one ever on July 7, 2018. Details are on the website. and within social media. 

What did you just say?!?!

The words in this title echo around the world from people who have never met and yet have something in common; they just received bad news from their doctor. In our peculiar instance, it relates to Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a genetic illness that throws the families of those diagnosed into a tail spin. 

Many have never heard about it, and not knowing what to expect are faced with a slew of emotions. There's no prior warning that their family member who was experience respiratory challenges could have CF, they thought it might have been just asthma.

We are Aware to Care! This is the motto of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Barbados (Cffb). We do so via a number of awareness building programs, including fundraisers.

Though we have been around for some time as an organization, we've only truly emerged to the public during the last year when we had our first fundraising walk which was followed up by our gala dinner earlier this year, while interspersed with awareness campaigns in the malls, health fairs, and even the university.

Have we really made a difference? Not in the way that we would like to since we believe that there are a number of people who are unaware of the condition since it is quite close to asthma.

Last year's symposiums was an eye opener for the public and the medical fraternity, where health care providers from the USA who are specialists in providing treatment came and shared their experiences with us in Barbados.

In Barbados, there is no one really certified to provide the quality care needed for this illness. We're hoping to make a difference by enabling those interested to become certified.

CF is quite expensive to care for, especially for local families. The medication is not readily available on island and has to be imported. No two people who have it and are not of the same family should be in close proximity as they can contaminate each other and it can prove fatal to them. Special care is needed in all instances including medical emergencies like hurricanes.

Our volunteer base is growing but there's still a need for more people since there's quite a bit to do. We would welcome your help in any way you can. Please visit our website for more details at www.cfbarbados.org.

Balancing Time, Effort, and Results

It is usually said, if you want something done ask a busy person. This got me thinking about what does a busy person do that the rest of us don't. How does a busy person get to effectively balance time and effort while achieving results?

Externally, we all look the same; at least generally. It isn't race, sex, education, social status, nor any other superficial characteristic. What is key about those who achieve what they put their minds towards seems to stem from the following:

• purpose
• character
• will and strength of resolve
• goals that are well defined 
• objectives that are clear
• respect for others and by others 
• their ability to control time 

How involved are you? What contributions are you making to the existence of someone other than your own?  If a few words can make a difference to you today what would they be?

1. Get involved
2. Make a positive difference 
3. Help someone today
4. Get on purpose
5. Commit to something bigger than you
6. These are just a few

What would be your action phrase? Open opportunities that you didn't know were available.

You have what it takes to be a volunteer. Yes, it requires commitment and dedication, and functioning in a team environment can help make it feel easier so that you're not overwhelmed. You will learn skills. develop good attributes, and just maybe get recognition certificates in the areas of competence that you demonstrate.

Let us know if you're interested, as we try to make our programs for volunteers quite meaningful. Remember - balance your time, put in your efforts, and see the results.

Special thanks to the 100 Voice Project in 2014. Looking forward to your program in 2015. 

Standards of a charity - The magnificent seven

For many, when they are affected by something / someone that moves them emotionally; in many cases there begins the need to start a charity. What then happens is that another organization begins, sometimes duplicating the work of another one, facing scarcity and lack at various levels.

If this seems like an odd thing to read, examine it closely and you'll see that based on observation it isn't.

There's a streak that runs through organizations of all types. The people involved often need to feel a sense of belonging. They want to give back and contribute. They want to ease the burdens of others. However, regardless of the organization, there's a need to have standards to ensure that everyone operates in alignment and on a similar platform with clarity, if not the result can be chaos.

What are some of these standards? Let's highlight a few of the more serious ones below:

• Transparency - decisions made and actions taken should always be without prejudice
• Accountability - helps in keeping everyone hones and corruption at bay
• Fairness - assists in ensuring that everyone is treated equally
• Documentation - is necessary for posterity and lends to historical value of decisions taken, meetings held, discussions which took place. Documentation can be done physically / virtually utilizing any of the available storage media which are now quite affordable
• Rules - established the parameters within which everyone operates
• Compliance - provides the controls to ensure the rules are adhered to
• Non-discrimination - goes a step further than fairness ensuring that any and all prejudices are eliminated at the root cause

Though there may be others, these "magnificent seven" capture the essence of all the issues. To be truly helpful, the charity must have a loving, yet discerning nature about it. At the Cffb we are committed to these standards and have them documented so that regardless of the individuals in leadership or among the members / volunteers; the organizations will remain true to its mission.

Why do we see the sense of setting standards within a charity? It's because, We're Aware to Care!

Why we need a Gala...

In the realm of fundraising, a gala is one of the nicest ways to raise funds for the host organization when it is done well. On the flip side; there's a load of hard work that needs to go into it so that the goals and objectives are realized.

That being said, we at The Cffb are embarking on this trek of hosting our first of an annual series of gala events. This year we themed it Wine, Diamonds, and Jazz, and made tickets available online via Tixpro.com and through the Wine World outlets throughout Barbados.

So now, after all has been said and done. You need to understand why we're doing this. Why do we need a gala? Here are just some of the answers:

• Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a very expensive illness that one gets genetically. Many places including Barbados have no medical facilities that can cater to the need of those who have CF. This being said, care must be sought in the metropolitan countries. Who have the specialist medical teams and medications to treat those who have CF. 
• The medication and care is expensive. Apart from the airfare, accommodations and living expenses. We have on record where care costs a rounded USD$12,000 per month in medication only, which is a stretch for us considering that our salary scales on the island are not that high, they are no major exemptions on medication or the shipping of it, and our currency is on a ratio of USD$1.00 =  BBD$2.00 approximately. Even with medical insurance it is a horrendous costs to the families of CF suffers. 
• To date we have an identified case, where insurance coverage is not available, and the sufferer is a youngster from a single parent household. 
• Ideally, each sufferer should have three medical visits annually to ensure that there is no bacteria in the lungs that can cause fatality in the sufferer(s). 

For us, a gala is a time of fellowship, where people of all walks can come together and learn, share, experience, offer care and support to those who are in need. Do we know beforehand who would be interested in such events? No! However the hope is that the event is desireable enough that people would attend to get information that would make them more aware of the circumstances under which others live, trying to do simple things that we often take for granted - like breathe. 

Imagine, having to take so many tablets that it seems like a meal, and though expensive it tastes the same every day. Further, you have to put on a special vest to shake the mucous from your lungs or have a family member strike you repeatedly in the chest and back to shake loose the mucous, and this takes place multiple times daily. 

Further imagine being able to eat the junkiest foods that you can ever imagine all because your body cannot absorb any of the qualities of those foods - good or bad. The thing is, without the benefit of the medication to help in the break down of foods you'll be fully fed yet malnourished - hardly putting on weight and susceptible to almost every illness that seems to pass by in the atmosphere. 

Yes there are additional challenges of this illness and perhaps you'd want to read of them right here. While we can't make you support us as you may not have the means to do so. At least you're now more informed that you can at least spread the word. Who knows? Someone that you know may just be able to help in a significant manner. 

Thank you for reading this far. If you're able to - postpone your valentine celebrations to dine with us. Donations can also be made to Royal Bank of Canada in (Barbados) Limited Account #21007939. Our Charity #7600861. This information is useful for those of you who would not be able to make it.