Surfing legends Laird Hamilton and David Kalama, with former Cystic Fibrosis Ambassador Emily Haager, will again serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the annual Pipeline to a Cure gala this coming August 6th at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, CA. The event will be hosted by Fuel TV’s Matt Beacham, who has been a pro surfer for more than 20 years, as well as radio personality Shawn Parr.
Now in its fourth year, the Pipeline to a Cure gala is an event that draws well-known surfers to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This summer gala will again recognize the positive effect that surfing has on the health of children with cystic fibrosis.
Guests will enjoy an evening of celebrity entertainment, fantastic food, and spectacular silent and live auctions, all while hob-knobbing with their favorite surfing celebrities.
One of the scheduled acts include punk-pop band Emily’s Army, which recently released its debut album. The band is named in honor of the cousin of band members Max and Cole Becker who has cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A few years ago, Australian researchers found that cystic fibrosis children who surfed had significantly healthier lungs. Doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist has a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs, which allows cystic fibrosis patients to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus. This discovery led researchers to develop a hypertonic saline solution, which cystic fibrosis patients around the world now inhale every day.
As such, cystic fibrosis patients literally mimic a “surf session” on a daily basis. Given this natural link to surfing, the Pipeline to a Cure campaign was born, and events such as surf and stand-up paddle events for CF families are planned outside of this gala.
The funds raised at Pipeline go directly to life-saving research. With no public funding, funds raised from the private sector provide a tremendous and critical lifeline to the more than 70,000 children around the world with cystic fibrosis.
For more information about Pipeline to a Cure or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please call (714) 938-1393 or (800) CF-CURE or visit www.pipelinetoacure.com.
