Strides for Sofia Sets the Bar High

Four-year-old Sofia Martin, of , was born with cystic fibrosis. Her mother, Maryann, was devastated when she found out—she was 14 weeks pregnant. Soon after, she met with other CF sufferers and representatives at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Pittsburgh.

“They gave me so much hope,” Maryann said. “We’re so close to a cure. I learned about it and it put my mind at ease. Then, I got involved with the foundation and we started a team.”

A team for the annual Great Strides walk, she said.

Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest national fundraising event. Locally, it’s held in South Park—starting at the museum. In 2011, nearly $38 million was raised to support vital CF programs, according to its website.

Strides for Sofia—led by Maryann—raised more than $10,000 last year. For 2012, Great Strides hopes to raise $150,000 for the fight against CF. 

“We want to step it up this year,” Maryann said. “It’s been successful—friends, family, co-workers, corporations, doctors and Sofia’s pediatrician have all been so supportive.”

Sofia will be 5 years old in July, and the process of taking medicine and living with CF “is just something we do,” Maryann said. “She loves gymnastics and dance, and has a brother and a sister—one older and one younger.”

Sofia sweetly told Patch the support makes her feel good.

The walk is scheduled for Sunday, May 20, at 10 a.m. Tables representing each team will be set up in the museum building. Walkers will stroll down Corrigan Drive and back. Following the walk, there will be hot dogs, refreshments and other tasty treats.

If you’d like to register for the Great Strides walk—to support Sofia and others with CF—click here. To donate to Sofia's fund, click here.

For more information on CFF, visit cff.org.

Are you—or do you know someone who has—registered for this year’s Great Strides? Have you, or do you plan to, support Sofia? Tell us in the comments.

This article first appeared on Peters Patch.