Walgreens announces launch of CF Champions Program

Walgreens recently announced the launch of CF Champions: Navigating the Journey Together. 

The launch came in conjunction with The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation's National CF Awareness Month.

Four CF Champions share their stories of living with the disease and meeting its challenges. The website also provides information on preventing infections, nutrition, medications and treatment regimes. Approximately 30,000 adults and children are affected by CF in the U.S.

“In the community of people involved with cystic fibrosis — patients, caregivers, health care professionals, researchers — there are many champions," Walgreens Enterprise Specialty Group VP Gerald Gleeson said. "We have selected some whose lives are touched by CF and who are also good storytellers, people who can share insights into the lives of families touched by this condition. We hope we can all learn something from them.”

CF is a genetic disease that affects the respiratory and digestive systems. The defective gene affects a protein, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which helps move chloride, water and small molecules out of the lungs' cells. When a person has CF, the CFTR doesn't work properly and allows a thick, sticky mucus to build up inside the lungs. The mucus clogs the lungs and prevents oxygen from entering and carbon dioxide from leaving the body. It can also cause lung infections.