Thank you for supporting the Rock CF Foundation!
Your donations support the mission of the Rock CF Foundation which is dedicated to providing programs, tools and resources that empower the cystic fibrosis community.
Rock CF is a community thousands strong changing the face of what living with Cystic Fibrosis looks like and giving those living with CF the tools to not only survive, but thrive. Founded and led by Emily Schaller, the Rock CF Foundation is dedicated to increasing the quality of life for people with Cystic Fibrosis. With the help of a core group of volunteers, the Foundation utilizes the arts, entertainment, fashion and fitness to support research initiatives and heighten public awareness in the fight against cystic fibrosis.
Run For Breath – Supporting the Rock CF Foundation
Running has always given me something I can’t get anywhere else: clarity, calm, and a sense of strength I carry into every part of my life. After years away from it, something inside me shifted this fall. The temperatures cooled in Texas, and for the first time in a long time, I felt that spark — that pull to get outside, move, breathe deeply, and reclaim a part of myself I’d been missing.
Getting back to running hasn’t been easy. I’m rebuilding from the ground up. Some days the miles feel heavy. Some days the breathing is harder than it used to be. But every time I get out there, I feel more like myself. Running clears the noise, burns off the stress that comes with medicine, and gives me space to reset, refocus, and be present.
This March, I’m returning to the very place my running journey began:
Grosse Ile, Michigan — home of the first half marathon I ever ran.
It was 2017, and I was living on the island during my surgical residency at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. A friend and mentor encouraged me to train with him, and I discovered something I didn’t know I had: the ability to go farther, push harder, and grow in ways that carried far beyond running. That first Rock CF race meant something to me — it represented possibility, momentum, and connection.
Now I’m running it again with an even deeper meaning.
While I don’t have a personal history with cystic fibrosis, I’ve had enough experience with loved ones struggling to breathe — including my father-in-law, who passed away from emphysema — to know how fragile and precious breath really is. Even in my own running right now, when I feel out of shape and fighting for steady breaths, it reminds me how much of a privilege it is to breathe freely.
CF affects people and families every single day. Some live with mild symptoms; others face daily battles most of us never see. No one should have to fight for breath — and that’s why Rock CF’s mission resonates with me.
This fundraiser isn’t about me.
It’s about supporting a community that inspires strength, resilience, and hope.
The Rock CF Foundation, led by founder Emily Schaller, empowers the CF community through programs, tools, and resources that help individuals not just survive — but thrive. Their work genuinely changes lives.
I’m running to support that mission.
I’m running to raise awareness.
I’m running to help others breathe a little easier.
And if my return to running inspires someone to donate, learn more, or even join the race — that means everything.
If you feel compelled to support Rock CF, even with a few dollars, it truly helps.
Thank you for being here, for reading this, and for supporting a cause that matters far beyond the miles.
— Ernie
