X4CF Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis

Marco Islanders once again rose to the challenge of helping those in need, especially those who are the most vulnerable among us - children.

An event called “Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis”, or X4CF, began in 2011, after a four-year-old Piper Suit was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). It is devastating news to hear that your child had a potentially life-threatening disease, one for which there is no cure today. That was the news given to Travis Suit, Piper’s father, by the specialist who first diagnosed the frail little girl. 

Travis knew he had to do something to help raise awareness and monies for research of this cruel disease. Some 30,000 individuals are believed to be living with CF within the United States today, and another 1000 are diagnosed with the disease each year, many of them children under two years of age.

CF is an inherited life-threatening disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. The body is unable to ward off the accumulation of mucus in the airways, causing the patient to have a limited ability to breathe. As a result, infections will plague a patient within their respiratory and digestive systems. At this time, the disease is incurable. However, early diagnosis helps in dealing with the effects of the disease before symptoms are evident and can assist in a patient’s care.

In 2013, Suit initiated a fundraiser through an event called “Crossing for the Cure,” when he and four friends threw their paddleboards into the water in the Bahamas and undertook a grueling 15 ½ hour paddle back to Palm Beach County.

In 2017, local Marco Island Police Officer Josh Ferris, an avid water sports enthusiast and marine officer with the Marco Island Police Department, joined the effort to rally support for the cause here on Marco Island. On the Saturday of Father’s Day Weekend, 34 individuals left Bimini with support crews following in boats, to make the challenging paddle back to Dania Beach, FL. Josh was joined by his Marco PD counterparts Bob Marvin, Lorenzo Smith and the late Lt. Clayton Smith. That year, the organization raised $133,000 for the cause. 

Ferris continued to paddle and raise monies for the cause in the 2018 event. In 2019, he began transitioning over to a role which he knows best, how to keep people safe. Unfortunately, in 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic put the event on hold out of an abundance of caution. 

Fast forward to 2021, and the group that pushed off from Bimini in the Bahamas had swelled to 140 participants. The organization this year set a goal of $550,000, and that goal was reached a week prior to the event.

This year, Ferris organized the safety team for the event, and as part of that, called on local Captain Scott DeHooghe and his 33-foot Hydra-Sport, along with crew member Valerie DeHooghe. Ferris joined with them overseeing the hardy group of other volunteer safety members on their crafts. They also were joined by another Marco volunteer, Captain Rich Klein on his 36-foot Concept, whose boat was crewed by Chris Cefola. 

They were part of a six-boat armada that worked to ensure paddlers and their support boats would arrive safely at their destination at Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach County after 16 to 18 hours from their push off from Bimini at midnight on Sunday on the 80-mile journey across the Gulf Stream.

“This probably was one of the most demanding events we’ve done with our participants and the boat captains who accompany them, especially due to the choppy conditions driven by the high winds. It is truly a team effort to make this happen,” said Ferris, while he waited to ensure the last four participants made it safely to shore.

When asked about what is next for the Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, Ferris smiled and said, “I’m thankful for the support I continue to receive from Marco and other friends for this great event and the cause it represents. I just urge folks to continue to support it and, after we have our wind down event on Wednesday, we’ll just look forward to putting together all of what we’ve learned this year to again exceed our expectations in 2022.”