Keldan, the 2-1/2-year-old son of Kelsie Dry and Dan Pablo Jr., was born with the incurable disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

"We were shocked to learn he suffered from CF," said Dry. "For a child to have CF, each parent must carry the defective CF gene. Neither Dan nor I knew we were carriers, but more than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of the CF gene."

To help Keldan and many others like him, Dry is organizing a local Great Strides Walk, sponsored by the CF Foundation and the Tulalip Tribes. The walk, set for Saturday, July 11, at 9 a.m. at the Tulalip Amphitheater, is looking for teams, sponsors, donors and individual walkers.

In his short life, Keldan has been hospitalized for significant periods of time due to complications from CF. While his story is tragic, few CF patients lived to attend elementary school prior to the existence of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. With the advances in research and treatments, the median age of survival is now much higher.

"With continued research and funding, we are hopeful that by the time Keldan becomes an adult, his life expectancy will be significantly longer, or a cure will be found for CF," said his mom.

To learn more about registration and the upcoming event, visit http://greatstrides.cff.org or contact Dry at keldan2006@comcast.net.