LOVE DOES by Lynn Rush
courtney smith
“I give up!” Those are 3 words you will never hear from
twelve-year-old Courtney Smith. Bound and determined to save her Uncle Patrick’s life, this young woman challenges everyone around her to step up and face off with the deadly disease trying to shorten his life: cystic fibrosis (CF). As an infant, her uncle was diagnosed with CF, and doctors told his family he more than likely wouldn’t live past the age of 5. That was more than 28 years ago. At the age of 33, he has a beautiful wife, Cher-
yl, and 2 young daughters, Scarlett and Olivia. Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease, affecting less than 200,000 people in the United States. How- ever, when it does worm its way into someone’s life, it’s life altering. Damaging the lungs and digestive system, it often limits its victim’s life span to a mere 30-40 years of age. Courtney Smith, the super star we’re featur- ing today, is on fire to bring awareness to her community about this deadly disease. She’s a creative and kind-hearted advocate for her un- cle and hopes to help him and others by raising money to find a cure. Did you know the symbol for cystic fibrosis is
a rose? She’s taken that symbol and hand-crafted beautiful roses from red satin. On a few occa- sions throughout the year, she and her family head to their community park in Sun City, AZ and sell these stunning roses. After talking to her for only five minutes, you’ll buy a handful for sure.
100% of the funds raised at sales like this go to the CF Foundation. She’s also teamed up with her Aunt Cheryl,
Patrick’s wife, on a couple of adventures. For the past 5 years, Cheryl’s anthem-based salon, The Dolly Rockers, sponsors a cut-a-thon. The staff donate their time so each haircut and style you purchase supports CF!
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And just outside the salon, there’s a car wash and BBQ taking place in the parking lot after you get your hair cut. Talk about a nice way to usher in Spring in Arizona, so stay tuned to the Dolly Rockers for the next event coming in March 2016. But that’s not all this ambitious young lady
is involved with! Every year, she participates in the Great Strides walk as part of her uncle’s team, Patrick’s Pack. It’s a great event where those who have family members affected by CF join together as teams, raise money throughout the year, and then walk the Tempe Town Lakes. Courtney’s already looking ahead at how
she’s going to advocate for this disease in the future. Someday, she’d like to design a rose charm for CF and sell it like the breast cancer foundation does. We congratulate Courtney on all her efforts
to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis and the much needed funds to find a cure. She’s an in- spiration to all those who have family members dealing with this life-altering disease.
For more information on CF:
www.CFS.org, and be sure to watch the Dolly Rockers Website for details about the cut-a-thon event in March 2016.
http://www.dollyrock-
ersaz.com/.
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