Rick_Dickert's Blog

Recently I had the pleasure of being apart of a very special event benefiting the Cystic Fibrous Foundations. When asked to MC this fundraiser, I only knew the basics about the disease. I was unaware that the ocean that I love so much is helpful for patients. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of about 30 thousand children and young adults in America. The average life expectancy for those suffering from the disease is about 37 years. However, research is helping! Pipeline to a Cure was held in Huntington Beach on July 19th for just this reason. It brought the surfing and extreme sports community together to bring awareness to this disease. A few years back, researchers in Australia discovered that kids that had CF and spent a lot of time in the ocean surfing had healthier lungs than those that did not. It was determined that the salt water and mist of the ocean had a therapeutic effect on the surfer’s lungs. From this, a therapy was developed so that ALL CF patients could inhale a saline solution to help clear their lungs. WOW! What a connection. The fundraiser was amazing. Big wave riders Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama were honorary co-chairs. We raised

about $400,000 for CF research from ticket sales and auction items. It was such a privilege to be apart of the event. The highlight was meeting CF patient Emily Haager. What an amazing young lady she is. You HAVE to check out this youtube video of her story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Iop-w98YE

The entertainment for the night: Social Distortion..yeah..what a night topper!

Wahoo’s Tacos (the bros were sooo cool!), BJs Restaurant, the Kelly Slater Foundation and many others supported the inaugural event. It was great night..a highlight of my summer. I look forward to being apart of next year's fundraiser. For more on CF or to make a donation, check out their web site:

http://www.cff.org/

Be well everyone-

Rick