Happy 39th Birthday to Emily! Will You Dream Big with Us?
By Jessica Rutstein Lazarus, Emily’s Entourage board member and Emily’s lifelong best friend
Hi there, Jess here! I’m back again to wish Emily the happiest of birthdays and to share some thoughts as we reflect on the past year, and look ahead to 2024, and Emily’s 39th year. This year we’re thinking about dreams…
On any given day, the biggest dreams of my two young children include things like being able to fly, having a pet unicorn, living permanently in an amusement park, or having a candy factory in our basement. Although I can’t say that any of these dreams are based in reality, what’s important is the sparkle in their eye as they daydream and the smile on their face as they describe how wonderful these things would be. You see, no one has told them that their wildest dreams are not possible. They have no seed of doubt, no concern that they could set a goal and fail to reach it. They feel no constraints on their dreams.
Shouldn’t everyone feel that freedom? The freedom, confidence, and endless optimism to dream as big as their imaginations will let them.
But for many of us, once we cross some invisible barrier into adulthood, or maybe as we become more accustomed to the routine grind of daily life, for some reason it’s almost as if our big dreams begin to shrink. Or we worry that we won’t be able to achieve what we dream of, so we simply stop, or start to limit ourselves. Of course, dreams are even more complicated for so many people living with cystic fibrosis (CF) and especially those with advanced stage lung disease. For anyone who sees their future being curtailed by a force outside of their control, it can feel riskier to even entertain these dreams. Especially when it comes to birthdays, an annual time for big wishes, hopes, and dreams, this stark contrast against the daily reality of a fatal genetic disease can feel especially heartbreaking and terrifying.
I know I speak for all of us when I state that we have dreams we would like to see come true for Emily, and for everyone with CF. I dream for her to not have to fear that a common cold will land her in the hospital… I dream that all her travel goals can come true…I dream that she doesn’t have to worry about spending time in crowded places…I dream that she feels no constraints on her future.
As Emily reminds us, “everyone deserves to dream.” The future should feel just as bright, and just as hopeful, for all of us.
Emily has shown us how collectively, as a devoted, passionate Entourage, we can dare to dream big and achieve the seemingly insurmountable. We’ve seen unprecedented progress in drug development — we have more hope for the final 10% than ever before.
We need to dream big, we have to dream big. We don’t have the luxury of time, of taking small steps… instead, we need to be taking huge leaps. We need to keep propelling ourselves forward, beyond what we initially thought possible, until we reach our ultimate goal (and Emily’s single greatest wish): fast, lifesaving breakthroughs for 100% of the CF community with nobody left behind.
Let’s give Emily the best birthday she’s ever had, will you dream big with us this year? Help make Emily’s wish come true by making a donation of $39 dollars for her 39th birthday.