Friends Band Together For Cystic Fibrosis

For five local girls, accessorizing has never been so fun or so important.

The 10 and 11-year-olds from the have taken it upon themselves to sell bracelets for $2 each, to benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation and raise awareness locally of Cystic Fibrosis, something one of the girls - Kiki Gilligan - is living with.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting roughly 30,000 Americans and often attacks the digestive and respiratory systems. 

"We got together when Kiki was out of school and we missed her and wanted to do something to help cystic fibrosis," said Olivia Wolcott. 

From there, the group of classmates; Wolcott, Bobbi Dynice, Allison Ferris and Stella Greville, decided to organize along with Kiki.

"Stella made us T-shirts for when we are selling the bracelets," Kiki Gilligan said. "We've already raised $500."

The $500 has been raised in just two weeks and with only a few public sales. The rest have been made through word- of -mouth and on Facebook as well as through the schools.

"The schools have been awesome," Kiki's mom Amy said. "We decided to go with the Boomer Esiason Foundation because there is a face attached. Boomer's son Gunner actually goes to Boston College. We met Boomer at a CF meeting at Mass General Hospital."

Esiason was a NFL quarterback in 1993 when he learned his young son, Gunnar, had cystic fibrosis, according to the foundation's Web site. Esiason launched  the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise money for research and one day a cure.

"Because there is a smaller population of people with the disease, the pharmaceutical companies have a lower ability to turn a profit," Kiki's father Patrick Gilligan said of the lack of research into CF. 

For Kiki, sharing her own story with her classmates she says, makes fighting the disease easier.

"Not a lot of people knew before," Kikki Gilligan said. "Now everyone knows and want to help. It's a reason to make a big difference."

"I've known Kiki since second grade and didn't know she had it until she told me in third grade," Wolcott said. "It's not something you can easily tell."

Friend Stella Greville added, "we want to do something to help find a cure and raise a lot of money."

The girls are in talks with the YMCA to sell their bracelets there and have some sales coming up at school as well. They hope one day, there will be a cure.