The countdown is on! In just a few short months, we’ll celebrate 16 incredible years of making a difference for the cystic fibrosis community, and we want you there.
Join us on Saturday, September 19, 2026, for an unforgettable evening filled with great food, laughter, inspiring stories, and the chance to celebrate the families, supporters, volunteers, and partners who make our mission possible.
Whether you’ve attended before or this will be your first Gala, it’s a night you won’t want to miss. Click below to reserve your tickets and celebrate with us!
Get your tickets: Sweet 16 Night of Hope
As they say, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” That sentiment couldn’t be truer for The Bonnell Foundation.
On June 13, Laura Bonnell attended the Emmy Awards ceremony at the Fillmore Detroit, where Embracing Egypt: Connecting CF Families Across the Globe was recognized with an Emmy nomination.
Produced by Laura Bonnell and Robin Schwartz, the short documentary was created to shine a light on the healthcare disparities faced by people with cystic fibrosis simply because of where they live, their economic circumstances, or their race. While taking home an Emmy would have been incredible, the documentary had already accomplished its most important goal: raising awareness about the inequities that still exist around the world.
“I sat there with Robin and my husband, Joe, waiting to hear who won,” Laura said. “I was nervous and really wanted to win, but I also had a feeling that my first Emmy wasn’t going to happen. It was a fun night. We met so many wonderful people, and at the end of the day, we were nominated. That’s something we’ll always be proud of.”
For The Bonnell Foundation, the nomination is a reminder that stories can educate, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations. In that sense, Embracing Egypt is already a winner.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the documentary, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to see the story that earned this special recognition.
Watch Embracing Egypt: Connecting CF Families Across the Globe: Emmy nominated!
We’ve had an incredible lineup of guests sharing stories of resilience, advocacy, education, and hope. If you missed an episode, here’s what you’ll discover:
Kate O’Donnell: Leading the Fight for the Future of CF
Kate O’Donnell has spent more than two decades volunteering and advocating for the cystic fibrosis community. During our conversation, she shares how her family’s experience inspired a lifetime of service, her leadership with the Joey Fund, and her role helping shape the future of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Milestones III campaign. It’s an inspiring discussion about philanthropy, leadership, and ensuring that future generations continue to benefit from advances in CF care. Link: Listen here and watch here
Meet Our 2026 Scholarship Winners
Every year, The Bonnell Foundation awards scholarships to remarkable students living with cystic fibrosis. In this special episode, scholarship recipients Serena Scillia, Jayla Jacobs, and Benjamin Ferguson share their personal journeys, educational goals, and how they balance college life while managing CF. Their determination and optimism are a reminder that cystic fibrosis does not define what someone can achieve. Link to listen. or watch here.
David Howard: Chasing Championship Dreams (He JUST qualified for the Open Championship - formerly known as the British Open). Congrats.
Irish amateur golfer David Howard joins us to discuss competing at an elite level while living with cystic fibrosis. David shares how he first discovered golf through Pitch and Putt, his journey to becoming one of Ireland’s top amateur golfers, and the focus and mental preparation needed to compete in tournaments. His story proves that with dedication and perseverance, people with CF can pursue their biggest dreams. Listen here or watch.
Inka Nisinbaum: Finding Humor Through Life’s Biggest Challenges
Author Inka Nisinbaum discusses her memoir The Anomaly and talks about growing up with cystic fibrosis, waiting 15 months for a life-saving double lung and liver transplant, and learning to navigate uncertainty with honesty and dark humor. Her remarkable perspective reminds us that even during life’s most difficult moments, resilience and laughter can coexist.
Be sure to subscribe to the Living with Cystic Fibrosis podcast so you never miss another inspiring conversation. Every episode brings you real stories, practical insights, and voices from across the global CF community.
Listen to the Living with Cystic Fibrosis podcast wherever you get your podcasts and become part of this incredible community conversation.
European CF Society Conference (ECFS) June 2-6th, 2026.
Nicholas Simmonds (United Kingdom) talked about how CF carriers’ health is impacted. Professor Dr. Margarida Amaral at University of Lisboa – Faculty and Sciences is working hard to understand CF mechanisms globally that we use to transcriptomics, proteomics, and functional genomics…recently focusing on the CF pathways that lead to cancer. We learned about the incredible Twinning Project. New CF centers twinned to improve care across Europe. CF Europe. We met with Claire Francis, the coordinator of the Twinning Expansion project, Hilde De Keyser, CEO and other extraordinary people with the program. A well-established CF center mentors a newer CF center in Europe, and soon they’re going to include nonprofits. And Laura Bonnell and Petrina Fraccaro (CF Queensland, Australia) who cofounded CF Global Advocacy Alliance held a meet in great to talk about raising awareness across the country about health inequities.
New Product We Learned About at the European CF Society Conference
The Bonnell Foundation is not endorsing DMF FoodAR or Vecta. We are simply sharing information about a product we discovered at the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Conference in June that may be of interest to people living with cystic fibrosis.
According to the company, Vecta is a powder-based food designed to provide a standardized 10-gram lipid dose to help enhance the absorption of CFTR modulator medications. It is available in both Natural and Cocoa flavors.
As with any nutritional product, talk with your CF care team before deciding if it is appropriate for you.
Watch the video below as Laura Bonnell speaks with Roberto Valla about Vecta, how it was developed, and the role the company says it can play in supporting CFTR modulator absorption. Video on YouTube Roberto’s coworker, Andrea took the video. He did a great job!
Have a wonderful rest of the summer. You are making a difference. Thank you for your support.
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