Bake it Blue for kids like Kenzie

Cystic fibrosis is often called an invisible illness, but for Antonia, it became terrifyingly real when her baby daughter Kenzie suddenly started choking and couldn’t breathe.

“That was the scariest moment,” she said.

Kenzie was diagnosed through newborn screening, a shock for her parents, who knew little about the genetic condition. Along with the diagnosis came a lifetime of daily treatment, medications, physio, and constant vigilance to prevent serious lung infections.

"Any time she gets a sniffle or a cold, we're on edge worrying… whether she'll end up in the hospital again.’’

Despite the challenges, Kenzie’s family holds onto hope. After learning about the gene therapy research at Children’s Medical Research Institute, they found a reason to believe the future could look different.

“Research is so important,” her dad Chris said. “That’s the only thing that will give Kenzie and other kids…an actual normal life.”

By baking something special this August, you’ll help us find cures for genetic diseases and cancers that can save the lives of kids like Kenzie.

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