The Toowoomba racing industry will unite later this month to "Take The Plunge" into the training centre pool at Clifford Park Racecourse to raise much needed funds to support Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.
From birth, cystic fibrosis attacks the lungs, airways, endocrine system, and pancreas.
The disease quite literally “takes your breath away”.
A child is born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) every four days, most will not live past their twenties and there is no cure.
For two local racing identities CF is personal.
Toowoomba Club CEO Lizzy King has a 23-year-old niece Riley living with the condition.
And, Queensland Racing Integrity Commission Steward Clayton Warren has a two-year-old son, Isaac, with CF.
King said her niece was born prematurely and with no family history of when she was finally diagnosed, it was a complete mystery to the family.
“When Riley was born, medicine and technology was holding its own and keeping up,” King said.
“Riley has been lucky over the years to be accepted into some drug trials, which have proven to be wonderful for her.
“It’s fund-raising like Take The Plunge that offers so much opportunity for research to continue and provide a wonderful future for CF patients.”
QRIC Steward Warren said since Isaac was diagnosed after failing to thrive from birth, life for him and his young family has been full of medical appointments, tests, operations, daily physiotherapy and treatments.
“I want to increase CF awareness and raise funds for research to bring hope and further advancements for children like Isaac,” Warren said.
“There have been breakthroughs in the treatments for CF and drugs like trikafta and ivikafta that have been developed are great, but they still don't work for a lot of kids and people like Isaac as with his type of CF those drugs won't have any effect.
“There are a lot of studies and trials going on now and hopefully in the next 10 to 15 years there will be something like trikafta for him."
The "Take the Plunge" event will be held after track work at 8:45am-9am on Thursday 28 July at the Clifford Park, Training Centre pool.
Along with King and Warren, other racing identities set to Take The Plunge include Toowoomba Turf Club Management and Board members, Racecourse Manager, Gabe Erbes, jockey, Stephanie Lacy, trainer, Maddysen Sears and the Toowoomba Club is expecting a few extra people to join in.
A fund-raising target of $2000 has been set, but of course the organisers are hoping for more.
King is calling on the racing industry, including other associated stakeholders, including Toowoomba Turf Club members and owners, to get behind the cause.
Anyone can donate now, to the Toowoomba Take The Plunge fund-raiser, by visiting https://take-the-plunge-for-cystic-fibrosis.raisely.com/toowoombaracingindustryunitesforcf.