The hardest part about cystic fibrosis isn’t the dozen or so surgeries Stacy Motenko had to endure before her 18th birthday.

It’s not the mucus that builds up in her lungs that makes her feel like she’s suffocating, or the 40 or so pills she has to take, or the IVs and needles she has pricking her skin.

The hardest part is losing her loved ones.

In an emotional speech at the Pipeline to a Cure gala last weekend, Motenko, 24,  recalled dreams  her best friend Emily Haager  and she had of one day sitting on a beach in Fiji to celebrate finding a cure for the disease both shared.

“And when that day comes, if I’m still here, you can be sure I will be on the beach in Fiji, and I promise,  you will be there in my heart,” she said choking back tears, as if speaking directly to Emily.

Haager – a Diamond Bar resident who was the face of Pipeline to a Cure – died at 27 from complications from the disease earlier this year, a common story for those battling the disease.

People diagnosed with cystic fibrosis – a degenerative disease that causes mucus build up in lungs and makes it difficult to take a breath – have an average life span of 37.

The third annual event – which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – raised about $450,000. The fund-raiser at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach last weekend brought in a room full of influential surfers such as Rob Machado, P.T. Townend, Lisa Anderson, Tom Curren and Dave Kalama many in town for the U.S. Open of Surfing. Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom, and O’Neill all supported the event.

Check out a slideshow of the event here.

Surfers have come together for the cause because research has shown that salt water helps clear out the lungs for people with cystic fibrosis, helping to break up the solid mucus in their lungs so they can breath easier. Many surf clinics are held along the coast, with cystic fibrosis surfers smiling after the salty air helps ease their suffering.

Other stars such as Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Olympian Jason Lezak and former Angels player Tim Salmon, who was honored at the event, also showed.

Salmon said he didn’t know much about cystic fibrosis when he joined a friend to attend his first event three years ago, assuming it was going to be fun with food and music. But after hearing Haager’s story, he was so inspired that he kept supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Haager asked if he would accept the honors, and in her passing, the award had so much more meaning.

“We are carrying on her legacy,” he said.

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