Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/898390
Bestowing the Precious Gift of Breath B Y M I C H A E L C H AT F I E L D C onfronted by adversity, many people merely sigh and accept their fate. That's not the case with Chris and Lori Pappageorgas. When their active teenage son and daughter were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the couple—along with Jerr y Coangelo, Bob Rosenthal and Sandi Eason—created the Living Breath Foundation to aid other families stricken with the disease. Through efforts that include an annual gala held at Tehama, the foundation has raised more than $2.1 million so far, and those funds have done a lot of good. "We've touched hundreds if not thousands of people in the 10 years," Lori says. They have done so in many ways, including financial aid, scholarships, grocery and gas card programs and hospital "care packages" that include shampoo, toothbrush, snacks and other items to make a patient feel more at home. Chronic, inherited and incurable, CF is thank- fully quite rare. "There are only 2,200 CF patients in California, Chris says. Due to research, those victims are living longer ; life expectancy is now over 37 years. "There is lots of help for children, but not as much for adults," Lori says. "They can't work, and so they need assistance." For more information and to see how you can help, visit www.livingbreathfoundation.com. SHORTCUTS GIVING BACK Bob Rosenthal, Sandi Eason, Lori and Chris Pappageorgas, and Jerry Colangelo joined together to create the Living Breath Foundation. 88 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 7 Photo: Kelli Uldall