Our Inspiration


From Kathy Thomas – “A Mom”

His dad says that Garrett is the best person he has ever known. I don’t know if I have respected or admired anyone more than Garrett. A family friend said that Garrett was full of goodness. A classmate describes Garrett as being kind, caring, considerate and thoughtful. His wife said that he was gentle and sensitive. I know that Garrett was a OurInspiration_Garretttreasure to all of us as a son, husband, brother, friend and family member.

A chain of words that could be used to describe him are pure of heart, a man of strength and integrity yet humble, deep in his thoughts, content with himself and life in general, a person of deep convictions, steady, good looking, intelligent, never fearing always courageous, determined, devoted, fun-loving, witty, a man who loved well and taught me how to love well, our mighty warrior.

The Garrett Thomas Foundation is an expression of Garrett’s heart for the families who are living every day with the challenges associated with cystic fibrosis. A conversation that I had with Garrett one time while on a clinic visit captures his heart. He looked up at me from the exam table and told me that he had had a really good life. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that I liked where the conversation was going. He talked about all the wonderful things we had done together as a family. He talked of the many trips, athletic events, family holidays and vacations. I just sat in silence. From this conversation we have decided as a family to bless others the way that we have been blessed. If we can, we desire to make the lives of families who are living with cystic fibrosis good in spite of their challenges. We want them to know that life is still good!

From Kurt Morphis – “A Best Friend”

Growing up Garrett and I were inseparable. Weekends were seldom spent alone. School, church, sporting events, or holiday, Garrett and I were side by side. My friendship with Garrett was easy. We just clicked. Not often in life are we fortunate enough to connect with someone with such ease and comfort. Through the ups and downs of boyhood adolescence our bond was strengthened by one constant factor; laughter. From pranks we would pull to the girls we would chase. We were boys being boys fueled by pure, innocent, side-splitting laughter. Laughter that was inspired by Garrett’s ability to always find the humor in life.

It was because of this laughter that I didn’t often see Garrett’s illness. When you see a smile in the eyes of your best friend it’s easy to forget the disease in his body. Sure, there were many times spent in the hospital but even at his bedside we could find a reason to crack a smile. Garrett didn’t use his sense of humor or light heartedness as a way to mask his CF. Instead he used what came naturally to him to battle his disease and to protect those he loved from CF. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. Instead of dwelling on his disease he spent his life fighting CF with positivity and courage. Laughter truly was the best medicine. Maybe it was medicine for me. That is what I feel this foundation is about joy and laughter. If this foundation can help one person smile and forget for one second that he or she has CF I think he would say it was all worth it. So, if I can speak for Garrett… keep laughin

Our Mission

The mission of The Garrett Thomas Foundation is to Support Life and Breathe Hope into the lives of individuals and families who are living with cystic fibrosis.

What Is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. An estimated 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide) have CF.

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