Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited diseases, it gradually destroys the lungs and lives of its sufferers. Currently around 9000 people in the UK have CF and 2 young people lose their lives to this disease every week.

People with CF often spend large amounts of time in hospital fighting infections and other complications of CF as well as needing a whole host of home therapies requiring support and input from a specialist CF centre.

The Knight Foundation is a charity dedicated to providing support and financial help for all people with cystic fibrosis (CF) but principally through the Knight Centre which is a specialist Cystic Fibrosis treatment centre located at Frimley Park Hospital which was built by the Knight Foundation and continues to be supported by them in the provision of medical equipment, treatment facilities, specialist consultancy and staff, along with welfare support for patients and their families.

The unit is a welcoming, family-oriented place where the patients feel looked after and cared for by an amazing staff who know them and their families personally. It makes coming into hospital less stressful and traumatic and the unit continually supports its patients in their daily struggle at home. The unit needs more funding to continue to do this fantastic work.

My personal involvement began in 2009 when my daughter Holly, who is a CF sufferer became online friends with two young men, Greg and Stuart, who also had CF. Greg was a patient at the Frimley Park centre and very soon Holly and Greg fell in love, Holly moved to be with Greg and also started attending the centre. Not long after, Stuart began dating my other daughter, Elisa - talk about keeping it in the family!

The stories of the two couples are very different however. Stuart and Elisa got married on August 22nd this year (2012) after Stuart received a life-saving double lung transplant in January 2010. Greg though, was too ill to have a transplant and passed away in Holly's arms at the Frimley unit in May 2010. Holly still attends the unit.

As for me, back in February this year I was an overweight, unfit middle-aged mother feeling a bit fed-up with myself. I went on a diet and started running. 6 months on I am over 3 stone lighter and training for my first 10K run! Every step I take is inspired by the strength of the young people I have watched struggle with Cystic Fibrosis.

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