For Immediate Release May 17, 2005

For More Information Contact: Diane Brown, 317-274-7711 habrown@iupui.edu

IUPUI to Host Walk for Cystic Fibrosis, Faculty Chair Event

INDIANAPOLIS - The annual Roche Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis will be held at IUPUI on Saturday, May 21. Two IUPUI faculty members are chairing this year's walk. Teams of staff and students from IUPUI also will participate in the fund-raiser to benefit research and treatment of cystic fibrosis.

One out of every 32 Americans is a carrier of the genetic defect that causes cystic fibrosis, a disease that fills the lungs with thick, sticky mucus, resulting in severe and repeated lung infections, and impaired digestion.

The Roche Great Strides Walk is a very family friendly 5/10K walk, beginning on the lawn south of the LD building by the University Library (corner of Blackford and Vermont streets) and winding along the beautiful Downtown Canal.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, and the walk commences at 10 a.m. After the walk, food, drinks and fun will be provided.

This year's chair persons, Gabriel Filippelli, an IUPUI professor of geology, and Sally Catlin, lecturer in computer and information technology at IUPUI, know the struggles of dealing with CF very well. Their youngest son, Clay Catlin, was diagnosed with the disease seven years ago.

Today Clay, an extremely carefree and happy boy, has to do lung treatments for an hour every day, take enzyme supplements for digestion before he eats anything, and make frequent visits to Riley Hospital.

The CF Foundation, a non-profit organization, invests more than 90% of all donations directly into research. For additional information about participating in the walk, or contributing to the CF Foundation, contact Catlin (scatlin@iupui.edu) or Filippelli (gfilippe@iupui.edu). ###