Breaking Through

For our final episode of Breaking Through, we caught up with Rob Ronnenberg from the small town of Byron, Minnesota. We chatted about his wife Jennifer, her double lung transplant, their Brady Brunch-style family, being a CF spouse, and their viral video that led to a dream wedding on reality TV. Ever since the transplant, and a viral video of Jennifer’s first breaths, they have been advocates for CF and organ donation.

You can watch the viral video of Jennifer’s first breaths with new lungs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq6wjjN73Q0&feature=emb_title

Due to COVID-19 this will be our last episode of Breaking Through. As we look to close this chapter, we’d love to hear what the podcast has meant to you – please send us your feedback at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic changing our way of life this month, Breaking Through opted to feature one of our most popular episodes in our show's history, our interview with Somer Love.

Somer is an adult living with CF, and was the 2019 VLC Alex Award winner. She's also an all-around amazing person. As a force of positivity in the world of cystic fibrosis, Somer has dedicated her life to giving back to the CF community and helping others pursue their dreams. She sat down with Kristen to talk about growing up with CF, starting her own organization, and how she maintains her positive outlook on life.

Next month, we will be back with a new interview from a member of the Tomorrow's Leaders program. In the meantime, you can find important answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's website (https://www.cff.org/Life-With-CF/Daily-Life/Germs-and-Staying-Healthy/What-Are-Germs/COVID-19-Community-Questions-and-Answers/). We hope that you stay informed, safe and healthy.

(Originally recorded and posted April 2019)

Jaci and her husband Drew are traveling from Iowa to Washington, DC this week attending their fifth March on the Hill, advocating for their son Major, who has cystic fibrosis. But Jaci’s story is so much more than just her advocacy work. She has received numerous awards professionally, and just a few weeks ago, she was honored as one of Des Moine’s 40 under 40. Jaci sat down with Kristen to share her professional life, her personal life, and how she manages the two while caring for a child with CF.

MaryBeth Hyland believes that we all share the desire to know and return to our authentic selves, at work, home and within. She has built a sterling reputation as a builder of corporate cultures and a so-called "Millennial Specialist". Following her successful and high-profile tenure at a global non-profit, she used her expertise to start her own company and then helped found the Tomorrow’s Leaders program of the CF Foundation.

But a lot of that success came from a childhood that was marked by deep trauma. In this month's episode, she explains to us how you can extract what you need from past pain, and leave the rest behind.

When he was 2-years-old, his parents had the good sense to put a tennis racket in Jon Norberg's hand. Jon would go on to spend his youth traveling around the world as a top-ranked tennis player, first as an amateur and then as a pro. On the court, he was in control and knew exactly what he wanted. But when time and injuries conspired to end his career, things were less certain. This month, Kristen spent time talking with Jon about how he made the crucial decision to get into investment and retirement planning, reigniting his passion after a chapter ends, and how his younger brother with cystic fibrosis inspired him along the way.

Julie Riedy first learned about cystic fibrosis in college when she met the man who she would one day marry, Chad. On this month’s episode, Julie explains that you don’t choose who you love, but that you get to love who you love. We talked to Julie about her involvement with the CF community, how she found a career as a teacher, her and Chad’s journey to have children, and that there is no “normal” for Julie and her family.

Tré LaRosa and his sister Alyssa, were both born with cystic fibrosis, but experienced the disease differently. Alyssa struggled much of her life and lost her battle in March 2018. Tré graduated college, lives on his own, and is now on the frontlines of the fight in the lab at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, conducting research on his own disease. He's become an outspoken advocate, a prolific writer, and a social media star in the CF community, carrying on Alyssa's legacy. We talked to him about his career path, losing and honoring his sister, and what the future holds.

Philanthropy is a way of life in Northwest Arkansas. But even among a sea of professionals who make a habit out of giving back, Tyler Gill stands out for his unique ability to fundraise. In his professional life, the Oklahoma native has led teams overseeing product categories valued at over $1 billion in sales. He's a dedicated team leader, salesman, bizdev expert and admittedly competitive. He sat down to share his story, and some tips about how to bring your fundraising efforts to the next level.

Kate O'Donnell never met her brother Joey--he died of cystic fibrosis a few months before she was born. Soon after Joey died in 1986, Kate’s parents, Joe and Kathy, celebrated his memory by starting the Joey Fund and dedicated their lives to the search for a cure. As Kate grew up, the memory of her brother was the impetus for her to get involved, too. Along with her sister, Casey, Kate now runs the Joey Fund. Her day job is Assistant Director, Student and Young Alumni Engagement at Harvard Business School, where she harnesses her people skills on a daily basis.

Joe O'Donnell is a one-of-a kind leader and an extraordinary champion in the fight against CF, helping to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in support of CF research. He’s also a Beantown legend--a serial entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and one of the "people who runs Boston", as named by Boston Magazine. A tough businessman, Joe nonetheless has an optimistic outlook on the future of CF research. We caught up with the dad-daughter duo to talk about Joey's legacy and their hopes for the coming years.

You can learn more about the O'Donnell family and The Joey Fund at JoeyFund.org.

Corie King always knew she wanted a job that would help people but didn't know exactly what that would look like. That uncertainty extended into her early career, when she took a detour as a nanny for Kennedy, a child with CF. During her time as Kennedy's caretaker, Corie learned more about CF, fell in love with Kennedy and her family, and found her purpose. Ten years later, Corie is a board member for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter and the Director of Field Marketing at Denver-based Noodles & Company, where her advocacy extends to the corporate world.